Veronica De Laurentiis

At the age of eighteen, she was cast in the film Waterloo, starring Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer.

Shortly after her third child was born, she and her then-husband, Alex De Benedetti, left Italy for the United States.

Her memoir Rivoglio La Mia Vita (Claim My Life) was on the Italian bestseller list within a week.

Veronica now tours Italy speaking openly about rape, abuse and the importance of breaking the silence as a tool for healing and change.

In March 2008, she was chosen to play the role of the "mater dolorosa" in the Italian show "D'Ambra Grigia E Canfora" directed by Raffaele Curi and produced by Fondazione Alda Fendi.

Veronica De Laurentiis (r) with her sister Raffaella and Guido Borghi, Italian entrepreneur