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‘Without a voice, she had no self’: who was the real Maria Callas?

A new Oscar-tipped Netflix film sheds light on the later years of the opera legend, played by Angelina Jolie, and the problems she faced

They could just as easily be uttered by Ferruccio Mezzadri, butler for 20 years to diva Maria Callas who, after retiring from the opera stage, lived a largely reclusive life in Paris. Known to her fans as La Divina (the Divine One), Callas was renowned for her vocal agility, ability to convey a wide range of emotions and commitment to dramatic realism. Speaking by phone from his home in London, Gambino, 67, explains: “ He has this form of protection towards her and so whoever attempted to alter her divine state is sort of thrashed, starting from Mr Onassis and ending with Jacqueline Kennedy.

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