A Belarusian model who is being sued by her older Italian prince boyfriend for taking advantage of him has denied being a gold-digger.
Prince Giacomo Bonanno di Linguaglossa, 51, struck up a romance with Tanya Yashenko, 35, in 2019 after meeting at a dinner party.
But the relationship turned sour when they both launched lawsuits against each other last year, despite claiming they are still together.
Mystery is surrounding the true nature of their relationship, with the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office investigating both their claims while the couple profess to be happily in love.
It has led to allegations that the prince, a descendant of a Sicilian noble house, is being pressured into making public statements in support of his girlfriend, who is accused of exploiting his fragile mental state.
Ms Yashenko sued the prince last March, accusing him of stalking her after he showered her with gifts including a Mercedes worth £70,000, a £48,000 share in a Rome bed and breakfast, expensive jewellery and £15,000 for a Rome flat.
In December, Prince Giacomo launched his own legal action against Ms Yashenko, claiming he was traumatised after his ex-wife left him with his sons for the US, saying his new girlfriend took advantage by taking his money and assets.
The pair have since both back-pedalled, with the prince still regularly declaring his love on Facebook, and she insisting the pair are still dating 'serenely', despite both cases still being in the courts.
Prince Giacomo Bonanno di Linguaglossa is still publicly professing his love for his girlfriend Tanya Yashenko despite the pair both engaged in lawsuits against the other
Ms Yashenko filed a lawsuit against the prince last March, accusing the prince of stalking her
Ms Yashenko said in a statement released through her lawyers on Wednesday: 'With amazement and regret, I acknowledge that a violent media campaign against myself has been underway for some time, artfully fed, to make me look like an unscrupulous woman accustomed to a comfortable and carefree life dependent on wealthy men.
'I reject with strength and indignation the tenor of these slanderous accusations by claiming my story as an independent and self-sufficient woman, who has carried out her life and work projects without the help of anyone and certainly even before meeting Giacomo, who has already denied the absurd accusations against me.
'I want to specify that the relationship with my partner continues serenely, albeit compatibly with the great state of anxiety and exhaustion that this absurd and incomprehensible media
