Maneskin frontman Damiano David announces split from girlfriend in wake of kissing video

Italian rocker Damiano David has been forced to apologize after a video of him kissing a mystery woman in a nightclub went viral on social media.

The lead singer for Maneskin, the glam rock band that shot to global notoriety after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021, has also revealed he recently split from his long-term girlfriend, Italian model Giorgia Soleri, after the clip emerged on TikTok.

“I am very sorry this video came out, it was not how I wanted to handle the situation and it was my mistake,” David, 24, wrote on his Instagram stories, according to People.

David added “no betrayals of any kind” occurred, and that he and Soleri split “several days ago”.

“I hope this doesn’t affect Giorgia’s image and that you can respect the delicacy of this moment,” he finished.

Soleri, 27, has yet to make a statement. She last shared a post with her boyfriend on Instagram in May.

The sweet photo showed the former couple kissing, with Soleri’s caption reading, “more and more every day.”

David, for his part, shared a photo with Soleri to celebrate her 27th birthday in January, saying it “never felt so good to be a toy boy.”

It’s not the first time David has courted controversy.

Following his Eurovision win in March 2021, alongside bandmates Thomas Raggi, Ethan Torchio and Victoria De Angelis, David was forced to undergo a drug test after he was caught on camera appearing to snort something off a table as they were celebrating after their performance. He insisted he was picking up a broken glass.

“I don’t use drugs. Please, guys. Don’t say that really, no cocaine. Please, don’t say that,” David said at the time.

A subsequent inquiry found David did not take drugs during the grand final, with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirming in a statement he returned a negative result.

“No drug use took place in the Green Room and we consider the matter closed,” the EBU said in a statement.

“We are alarmed that inaccurate speculation leading to fake news has overshadowed the spirit and the outcome of the event and unfairly affected the band.”