- Domnica Cemortan told Italian TV Francesco Schettino 'fascinated' her
- 32 people were killed when Costa Concordia hit rocks off Tuscany, Jan 2012
- Captain Francesco Schettino is charged with dereliction of duty and multiple counts of manslaughter
- Court heard Cemortan, dancer on the ship's bridge, was his lover
- If found guilty of the charges Francesco Schettino will face 20 years in jail
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The Moldovan dancer who captivated the captain of the Costa Concordia has told how she fell for him because he was ‘a god on the ship’.
Domnica Cemortan, who was seen flirting with Francesco Schettino shortly before the cruise liner crashed into rocks and sank off the coast of Tuscany, has revealed that she was ‘fascinated’ by him, because he was the captain.
Thirty-two people died in the January 2012 tragedy off the island of Giglio.
'God of the ship': Domnica Cemortan (left), said she was 'fascinated' by Francesco Schettino (right) because he was the captain. She was seen flirting with him moments before the Costa Concordia ran aground
Miss Cermotan, who is now a witness at the captain’s trial for multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, laid bare the details of their two week relationship on Italian TV last night.
Last week a judge forced her to admit for the first time that the two had been lovers. Previously she had always denied it, even after her suitcase and bikinis were found in his cabin.
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ShareMiss Cemortan told how she had first been introduced to Schettino by a colleague when she arrived on the cruise liner December 2011 to work as an international hostess, translating for Russians for three weeks .
Someone's lover: Miss Cermotan, who is now a witness at the captain¿s trial for multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, laid bare the details of their two week relationship on Italian TV last night
We were lovers: Last week a judge forced her to admit for the first time that the two had been lovers. Previously she had always denied it, even after her suitcase and bikinis were found in his cabin
She told chat show, ‘Domenica Live’: ‘When I see him I see a fashionable man, a smart man… For me he was fascinating because he was the captain. For the crew he was the strongest man on the ship. He is a god on the ship.’
She added: ‘In the first week he could not remember my name because it is not an easy name. But later he started to pay more attention to me… He started to speak with me , make jokes.'
Tragedy: Cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on January 18, 2012, just five days after the disaster. Thirty-two people died in the January 2012 tragedy off the island of Giglio
The 950 tonne ship was wrenched off the rocks last month in a mammoth operation and is expected to be removed from the island after the winter
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Schettino was allegedly seen 'drinking' at dinner in the company of Miss Cemortan the evening of the collision. The picture of her on the right was taken on the bridge of the Concordia
The pair had been lovers for two weeks in December. But nothing had happened on the night of the tragedy in January 2013 because there hadn’t been time in the three hours since boarding, she said.
Miss Cemortan admitted knowing Schettino was married, but said she thought it didn't matter because their romance woud only last a week. She said she now knew she ‘had made a mistake’ .
She added: ‘I was only 24. I don’t think I will ever get with a married man again in my life. Look at what happened. ‘
Captain Francesco Schettino seen as he arrives for his trial at the converted Teatro Moderno theater, in Grosseto, Italy last week
Previously she had lied about the relationship because people tried to blame her for the crash, she claimed.
To those who suggested the tragedy was her fault for distracting the captain, she said: ‘Why do you put the 32 people on my shoulders? I almost died two times on that night of 13 January. 'Why do people try and make me feel guilty because that night I fought for my life? '
She could not have distracted the Captain because she standing was at the back of the bridge, very far away from him, she claimed.
The trial reopened last month after the ship, which had been lying on its side, was wrested off the reef at Giglio in the biggest and most expensive operation of its kind in history.
Schettino is the only person on trial after four crew members and an official of the ship operator Costa Cruises, a division of Carnival Corp, agreed plea bargains.
The 950 tonne ship was wrenched off the rocks last month in a mammoth operation and is expected to be removed from the island after the winter.
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