Nicola Pietrangeli, Licia Colò: "An example of great courage"

Licia Colò from 1987 to 1994 was the companion of Nicola Pietrangeli, the Italian tennis legend who died at the age of 92. The well-known TV host and author recalled him to Adnkronos on the day of his passing.

“Nicola was a champion in life and in sport, an example of great courage. He was always a divisive person, in the sense that some people loved him and others couldn&#8217t stand him, precisely because he was courageous, transparent and never afraid to take uncomfortable positions, even to the last. And I just fell in love with that in his time”.

“In a society where everyone is a tightrope walker, Nicola was a great teacher of life. With him I shared a beautiful moment in my life. And our relationship continued to be beautiful afterwards, because our bond was transformed. Love can change, and when there&#8217s a deserving feeling, it turns into a great esteem and affection, which I always kept for him. For me he was a teacher”.

“I saw him’last time only five days ago. I went to see him, he was very sick, but he kept making jokes, complaining that he was ‘tired of being tired’. He had been sick for a long time, now he has freed himself. Probably, now he has finished being tired. I want to remember him this way and I hope that from up there he can continue to have fun, smile and make jokes with people who are no longer there”.