Italian man, 99, divorcing wife of 77 years over 60-year-old extramarital affair

A 99-year-old Italian man has filed for divorce from his wife of 77 years after he found letters from an affair she had 60 years ago.

The man, identified in court papers as Antonio C., came across the letters exchanged between his wife, now 96, sent to a former lover during the late 1950s in an old chest of drawers days before Christmas, the Telegraph reported.

He confronted his wife, Rosa C., who reportedly admitted to the affair before trying to convince him to stick with their marriage.

The couple has five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, according to UPI.

However Antonio C. moved ahead with the divorce which, the Atlantic noted, wouldn't even have been a legal option in Italy for their first 36 years of marriage.

Once finalized, the pair will become the world's oldest divorcees, according to the Telegraph. That title had been held by a pair of 98-year-old Brits, Bertie and Jessie Wood, who called it quits in 2009 after 36 years of marriage.

Originally from Sardinia, Antonio C. reportedly met Rosa C. in the 1930s while he served as part of the Italian Carabinieri in her native Naples. 

The Italian press, The Telegraph pointed out, suggested to the couple’s southern blood was the catalyst for the breakup.