Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that she has split from her partner, Italian journalist Andrea Giambruno, after the satirical TV show "Striscia La Notizia" featured him making lewd comments.

Giambruno is heard asking if "can I touch my package [referring to genitalia] while I'm talking to you?", to which a female voice replies, "You already did." "What's your name? We've met before ? Where have I seen you before? Was I drunk?" he asks later.

In the audio, he is heard inviting a woman to participate in a threesome or foursome. "We are looking for a third participant, let's make a trio. Four more," he says.

"Listen - Giambruno can still be heard speaking - I wanted to tell you something, will you join our group? Will you join our task force? Would you like it?" the conversation continues. After the woman agrees, he says, "But you have to give us something in return."

Then a man intervenes: "If Striscia records you, then you will see it." "What did I say guys," he replies. "We are laughing, we are joking, we come from a pandemic."

"It's been 5 years since it ended," notes one woman.

Giorgia Meloni's split comes after Giambruno has caused quite a bit of controversy recently, including claims that young women can avoid rape if they don't get drunk. He also compared migration to the movement of cattle.

"My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here," wrote Meloni on social networks. "I thank him for the wonderful years we spent together, for the difficulties we went through and for giving me the most important thing in my life, which is our daughter Ginevra. Our ways have changed for some time and it's time to accept it."

Meloni and Giambruno met in 2015. Their daughter is seven years old.