A former Miss Italy finalist could lose her sight after a bitter ex-boyfriend allegedly threw acid in her face.
Gessica Notaro, 28, a model who also works as a dolphin and sea lion trainer, was allegedly attacked by Jorge Edson Tavares, the Telegraph reported.
Notaro’s 29-year-old ex was arrested for the assault, but denies any involvement in the attack, according to Italian news outlet La Stampa.
Authorities believe Tavares, a bodyguard originally from Cape Verde, waited outside his former girlfriend’s apartment on the outskirts of Rimini. When Travers saw her, he allegedly called out Notaro’s name and then threw a bottle of acid in her face.
The victim reportedly suffered deep burns to her face and eyes and is being treated in a Cesena hospital where doctors fear she could lose her sight. She also suffered injuries to her hip and leg, and was listed in serious but stable condition after the horrific attack.
“She’s not in danger of losing her life, but the damage is extensive,” Hospital director Davide Melandri told the Telegraph. “It will be a few days before we can assess how bad it is.”
Notaro allegedly left Tavares bitter after she ended their two-year relationship last summer. Following the breakup, Notaro accused her former boyfriend of harassment and stalking, obtaining a court order barring him from her property, La Stampa reported.
The former beauty queen was crowned Miss Romagna and competed as a finalist for Miss Italy in 2007. Notaro continued on to nab several television appearances before she started working at an aquarium in Rimini, where she met Tavares.
Patrizia Mirigliani, a patron and organizer of the Miss Italy pageant, has known Notaro ever since she competed more than decade ago. She lamented the brutal attack against the pageant winner.
“Yet another act of violence against a woman, and in a particularly despicable manner,” she told Telegraph. “There can be no greater crime than defacing a person’s face in order to erase her identity, her beauty, her smile.”
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