Monica Bellucci has confirmed she’s in a relationship with director Tim Burton.
After months of rumours, Bellucci addressed their romance for the first time during an interview with Elle France.
“What can I say… I’m glad I met the man, first of all,” Bellucci said. “It’s one of those encounters that rarely happens in life… I know the man, I love him, and now I’m going to meet the director, another adventure begins.”
Bellucci stars in Burton’s next film, Beetlejuice 2, which began filming in London last month. Other cast members include Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe.
“I love Tim,” the actor added. “And I have great respect for Tim Burton.”
Bellucci presented Burton with a lifetime achievement award at the Lumière Film Festival in October last year. Since then, they’ve been photographed together in Madrid, Spain in February, and outside the Ritz hotel in Paris in March.
Burton was previously in a relationship with frequent collaborator Helena Bonham Carter from 2001 to 2014. They share two children together, son Billy, 19, and daughter Nell, 15.
Bellucci was previously in a relationship with French sculptor and former model Nicolas Lefebvre from 2017 to 2019. Before that, she separated from husband Vincent Cassel in August 2013, who she met on the set of 1996 film The Apartment.
Beetlejuice 2, set to be released in September next year, is Burton’s first film since the 2019 remake of Dumbo. It serves as a sequel to his original 1988 film.