Patrizia De Blanck, the countess who became one of Italy’s most recognizable television personalities, has died in Rome at the age of 85. The news was announced by her daughter Giada through a heartfelt message on social media, revealing that her mother had been battling a “devastating” illness in private.

“I don’t even have the strength to speak. I will live for her, because she lives inside me and in my heart forever,” Giada wrote, describing a deep and inseparable bond. She remembered her mother as an iconic figure who embodied elegance, authenticity and a larger-than-life presence.

Born into a historic aristocratic family, De Blanck was the daughter of Lloyd Dario and Cuban ambassador Guillermo De Blanck y Menocal. She rose to fame in the late 1950s as a showgirl on Il Musichiere, hosted by Mario Riva, before becoming a fixture of Italian television and high society.

In the 2000s, she found renewed popularity with a new generation of viewers through reality shows such as L’Isola dei Famosi and Grande Fratello Vip. With her unmistakable personality and outspoken style, Patrizia De Blanck remained a constant presence in Italy’s entertainment landscape for over six decades.