Livia Giuggioli Firth addressed her Instagram followers about why she still uses her ex-husband Colin Firth’s last name on social media.
The 56-year-old Italian activist posted a video Monday explaining that Instagram won’t let her change her handle from @liviafirth, despite multiple requests to the platform.
“I’m a Firth mama, my boys are Firth and that part will never go away,”
she said in the video.
Livia was married to Colin, 65, from 1997 to 2019. They share two sons: Luca, 24, and Matteo, 22.
She said followers often ask about her name choice “in an accusatory way.” The reason is actually technical rather than personal.
“By the way, Giuggioli, which is my name, has always been my name. I never changed it. Italian women never change their name, anyway, on their documents and stuff,”
she explained.
Instagram’s verification system makes name changes complicated for blue-check accounts. Livia said she needs authorization to change her username handle, even though she was able to update her display name to show Giuggioli.
“But recently I’ve asked Instagram to please change my name – how do I do it, because when you are a blue [check] you have to be authorized to change your name,”
she said.
The process has been frustrating. She’s contacted Instagram multiple times and reached out to special contacts at Meta, but hasn’t received responses.
“So I wrote to Instagram many times – I got some special names of people who could help me at Meta and I wrote to them, they never replied.”
The couple first met on the set of the mid-’90s British-Italian miniseries Nostromo, where Livia worked as a production assistant. They finalized their split in December 2019.
Colin also has a son Will, 35, with ex-girlfriend Meg Tilly from the 1990s.
Livia seemed unbothered by the technical limitation and the questions it generates.
“So it’s very very simple. My hashtag is still @liviafirth because Meta is not allowing me to change it,”
she told followers.
“Equally, I really don’t care. The people who love me really don’t care whether it’s Giuggioli or Firth or another name.”
She ended with perspective about the situation’s importance.
“So that’s it. Simple. Is that a problem, really? With everything that goes on in the world, is that a problem?”
The Instagram video shows Livia speaking directly to camera about the name situation and her attempts to resolve it through official channels.
