(by Laura Clarke).
Italian television actor
Gabriel Garko was recovering from shock, mild concussion and
grazes on Monday after an explosion at a two-story villa in the
northern city of Sanremo in which an elderly woman died.
Garko, 43, was staying in Villa Le Rose in the residential
Solaro district of the Ligurian riviera town for rehearsals for
the Sanremo Song Festival that opens next week.
He had been chosen by presenter and artistic director Carlo
Conti to co-host the 66th edition of the festival on February
9-13 along with Italian comedian Virginia Raffaele and Romanian
actress and model Madalina Ghenea.
The blast occurred around 8.40 am local time as a result of
a build-up of gas in an upper floor apartment for reasons that
remain unclear.
The victim was Maria Grazia Gugliermetti, the 77-year-old
mother of the villa's owner who arrived from Turin on Sunday
night.
Garko was injured when a false ceiling in the ground-floor
apartment where he was sleeping collapsed.
He was taken to hospital for examination and was released
shortly after 11 am local time with a prognosis of 10 days.
An assistant who was also staying at the villa was
reportedly unhurt.
Later in the day a small crowd of fans gathered outside the
main entrance to the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo that hosts the
annual song contest in the hope of catching a glimpse of the
actor, who however failed to appear.
Unconfirmed reports suggested he may have gone to his
mother's in Riva Ligure.
Meanwhile it has emerged that the actor wanted to enter the
villa after the explosion to assist Gugliermetti but had to
desist due to the flames, according to eye witness accounts.
Garko's participation in the Sanremo Song Festival was
announced last month.
"Carlo Conti's call came as a surprise, maybe because I
tend to underestimate myself," Garko said at the press
conference.
"This will be my first experience on stage and I have
decided to be fully myself," he continued.
"I will enter Italians' homes in a different way from
usual: normally I am the protagonist, here I will be at the
service of the show," Garko concluded.
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