"After 20 years together and three wonderful children, my marriage to Francesco is over. The way of parting will still remain a private matter and there will be no further statement from me. I invite everyone to avoid speculation and above all to respect the confidentiality of my family". With a statement released by her agent, this was Ilary Blasi's official announcement of the end of the relationship between her and the former Roma captain.
This is how Totti's statement begins and formalizes the separation: "I tried to overcome the crisis of my marriage, but today I understand that the choice of separation, although painful, is not avoidable.
Everything I have said and done in recent months has been said and done to protect our children, who will always be the top priority in my life. I will continue to be by Ilary's side in raising our three wonderful children, always respecting my wife."

How did the relationship between the Italian TV presenter and the legend of Rome begin? Incredible, through the screen. The former yellow captain fell in love with Ilary watching her on the screen. The incredible story is told through "fanpage.it":
"When I saw Ilar on TV, I said: She is the woman of my life, I must marry her." Ilary Blasi was still in her infancy as a journalist and TV presenter when Francesco Totti, Roma's captain at the age of 25, was struck by her from the screen.
It was like love at first sight. It seems that a century has passed since that time, if we consider that only a few hours ago one of the most beloved couples for Italians announced the separation with a joint statement.
And to think that the former Roma captain, as shown in the Netflix TV series "I'm Francesco Totti", has described every moment of that love story in detail. The football-TV presenter combination was almost a fad in the early 2000s, but between Totti and Blasi it was immediately true love.
From the very beginning of their history there was an episode that happened in Rome, especially the yellow fans remember it perfectly. It was the 2001-2002 season and the team led by Fabio Capello, fresh from the title won in the precursor championship, with the triumph in "Olimpico", on May 17, 2001, wanted to try again.

And so, in a fiery spring derby against Lazio, victory would be doubly valuable. In fact, Totti had been dating Ilary for a few months, but they weren't engaged yet. In fact, the showgirl's sister made the contact possible, as she knew a friend of Totti's. "Come and watch the derby live", - was Totti's invitation to Ilary.
She had never been to the stadium. From there we can say that the love story between Totti and Ilary begins. On the eve of the derby, however, bad news arrives on Totti's phone.
"On Saturday evening his sister texted me saying that Ilary might not come.
For me it was something bitter, because I had prepared a special jersey for him, unbeknownst to everyone, - said Totti in an interview for "Verissimo". – With my friends I decided to write the phrase 'You are unique', even though we had never gone out together and never had a kiss". But that news had thrown Totti into despair: "After I found out that he couldn't come, I didn't sleep all night and I thought that fate was against me".
But fate had other plans for Totti instead. The following Sunday, the day of the derby, the former captain was impatient. He still hoped that Ilary might somehow reconsider coming to the stadium.
"I had lunch with my cell phone next to me," he added in the story for "Verissimo", indicating that he had written a message to Ilary, but received no response. - At 13:30 he wrote to me: I'm on the train and I'm coming to see the match". Totti became euphoric and could not contain the emotion that inevitably charged him before such an important derby: "I looked like a child in bed, like a fool. I thought I had seen Madonna".
On the evening of March 10, 2002, one of the most important chapters of Francesco Totti's career and inevitably also of his private life took place. The jersey prepared with his friends was ready, he put it on covering it with the red-yellow uniform, in which he went out on the field with the captain's armband.
Exchange of glances with Nesta before the start of the game. That evening Totti managed to provide three assists, raising the class and imagination of someone like Vincenzo Montella, who scored four goals in that match.
Ilary was in the stands with his sister and Totti's friends. The only thing missing was the "icing on the cake" after the first four goals, which had left poor Angelo Peruzzi speechless at the goal. The yellow-red captain, however, could not put the ball in the net, he had already tried in the first half, but with no luck. Even in the second half, time ran inevitably towards the end.
"If I hadn't scored, no one would have seen it," says Totti during the series. - After I gave three assists, I asked myself: You must definitely expose this shirt tonight". And instead, in the 72nd minute, Totti received a ball from Montella, who returned the assist debt. From there, the captain could do no wrong.
Totti was practically outside the box, also far from the line that limits the penalty area. He looks at Peruzzi for a moment, notices that the Lazio goalkeeper was outside the goal and decides to... write football history forever.
The ball ends up in the net to the surprise of the Lazio fans and especially those of Roma, in disbelief at the magic of their captain. "One of the best goals scored in my career," Totti would later say. - I held up the Roma jersey and showed the jersey I had prepared, which read: You are unique" (6 unica).

Totti had achieved his goal. He had been looking for that goal and then he had found it in the most beautiful way, otherwise he could not have succeeded. "Maybe if I hadn't scored, I wouldn't have joined Ilary later," he adds in his narration for his TV series.
That match would end 5-1 for Roma, then the yellow-reds would end the season in second place with 70 points, one less than Italian champions Juventus.

However, Totti and Ilary Blasi would become one of the most solid couples in the VIP world. "This is fate, everything is written..." - Totti would say a long time ago. Maybe even the separation, after 20 years of relationship and with three children together, has already been written...