Ferragni's ex-manager Damato breaks silence on Sanremo rift

Fabio Maria Damato, the longtime manager and strategic architect behind Chiara Ferragni's digital empire, has broken years of silence by appearing on the Burnout podcast hosted by journalist Selvaggia Lucarelli, the reporter who first exposed the Pandoro Gate scandal.

Damato, born in Barletta, Puglia, studied business administration at Bocconi University and built a career in fashion journalism before joining The Blonde Salad in May 2017. He rose to General Manager of TBS Crew Agency and the Chiara Ferragni Collection, serving as both confidant and strategic mind behind the influencer's commercial and image decisions.

The interview centered on the deterioration of their professional and personal relationship, with Damato identifying the 2023 Sanremo Festival as a turning point. He addressed the widely discussed monologue Ferragni delivered on the Ariston stage—a letter to her younger self—clarifying that Ferragni wrote the text herself, not him. Damato revealed he had proposed a different approach inspired by Kim Kardashian, based on self-irony and deconstruction of public image clichés. "When I heard the final text I expressed my reservations, but I found a lot of closure," he said, according to sources.

Following the festival, Ferragni withdrew from contact. "After Sanremo we didn't speak for weeks, she was in blackout," Damato recounted. He described the separation as a slow distancing rather than a confrontation, with no heated argument marking the end.

Damato addressed his departure from Ferragni's companies, explaining that amid mounting chaos, he felt he could no longer be useful. He informed Ferragni of his resignation while they were in a car en route to an appointment. "When I told her this, we were in the car and I said there was nothing more I could contribute, so I was giving my resignation from her companies. She looked at me and said okay, it was over," Damato said. Ferragni later asked him to remain until June, but the situation deteriorated further.

Regarding the Pandoro Gate scandal itself, Damato stated that before news of the controversy circulated, no one had anticipated problems. "Both on the eggs and the Pandoro, the packaging and press releases had been approved by the charitable organizations. No one had ever raised an issue about it," he said.

On the subject of Ferragni's relationship with rapper Fedez, Damato confirmed that Ferragni had genuinely fallen in love with the artist, even at the cost of sacrificing some work opportunities, as certain brands disapproved of Fedez's image. He denied rumors of conflict with Fedez, stating he had never kept the rapper away from his dressing room.

Damato revealed that over the years many had offered him money to speak publicly, but he had consistently refused until now. He emphasized that his decision to appear on Lucarelli's podcast was made after considerable time had passed since the events in question.