Redazione AvvisatoreAntonio Capranica, the journalist who looks like he stepped out of a timeless postcard from London, is one of the upcoming contestants on “Ballando con le stelle” (Dancing with the Stars), which will premiere on Rai1 on October 21st, as reported by Renato Franco in Corriere della Sera.
“Why did you decide to do it?”
“There are basically two reasons. The first is that I am 72 years old, entering the eighth decade of my life, and I am starting to worry about my physical condition, which I haven’t taken care of much. This is also a challenge with myself to try to get back in shape.”
And the second reason?
“I have never been a great dancer, so it’s a way to prove that I am not completely useless.”
Is there a third reason, tell the truth. The vulgar money…
“Of course, I am not doing it for free, but I want to reassure everyone that we are not talking about fantastic sums of money, the kind that allows you to go to the Caribbean for six months without doing anything. Unfortunately, no.”
What does your wife say about it?
“At first, she was strongly against it, afraid that I might get hurt… I belong to a generation that grew up with the dream of Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale waltzing in ‘The Leopard.’ My ambition is to drag my wife into a waltz like that.”
You are married to the Russian pianist Lolanta Miroshnikova, and your love story started with a concert at the embassy in Moscow.
“That night, I fell in love instantly, but it wasn’t immediately reciprocated. I had to work for it.”
You started at “Unità,” you were a communist. Many regret it, renounce their past, feel ashamed…
“Not me, of course not. I was part of the ’68 movement, I worked for even more left-wing publications than ‘Unità.’ I joined the PCI, which for me has always been the Italian Communist Party, and I emphasize Italian; I was never particularly pro-Soviet. I was attracted to those ideals of redemption and liberation, even though reality taught us different lessons.”
You joined Rai in 1989. Were you recommended?
“Biagio Agnes used to say that in Rai, they had to hire a Christian Democrat, a communist, a socialist, and someone talented. He told me that thanks to me, he could save one: ‘With you, I can hire a talented communist.'”
You are an expert on royalty, how did your love for London come about?
“Since my first trip as a teenager, at the age of 14, I immediately understood that it was my second home. I was struck by the way society lives there, a coexistence based on respect for diversity.”
(Continued in Corriere della Sera)
(Photo: Antonio Capranica)
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