Rita De Crescenzo on "Belve": "From 30 years of drugs and violence to a resurgence on TikTok."

Naples – "I was a drug addict, I was raped." With these stark and disarming words, Rita De Crescenzo opened up about her tormented life in the first episode of the sixth season of Belve, the Rai2 talk show hosted by Francesca Fagnani.

The Neapolitan influencer, a self-proclaimed "TikTokana" and "Showget" with a following of over 2 million on TikTok, told a story of suffering and redemption, including drugs, violence, and redemption achieved on social media.

"I'm a lioness, no one is better than me," De Crescenzo begins, answering Fagnani's question about what kind of "beast" she considers herself. "From morning till night, I keep people company, I entertain them. They treat me like a Madonna."

The host, with her cutting style, retorts: "Isn't that too much?" And Rita replies: "I'm imitated a lot, but I'm happy. So people have seen that you can change in life." A mantra that permeates the entire interview, marked by shocking revelations. Her childhood, described as "extremely bad," is a painful chapter: "30 years of drugs and psychotropic drugs. My mother had a mental disorder and was constantly hospitalized for schizophrenia. My father was ill for 10 years."

At 13, she became pregnant, having discovered it in the seventh month: "Her father was 15 or 16. If I could go back, I wouldn't do it again." Her partner, Ciro Marranzino – with ties to the Contini Camorra family – was arrested shortly after giving birth for a fight.

"I have nothing to do with that family, I was a child," Rita defends herself.

The descent into hell is marked by drug addiction.

Arrested in 2017 for drug dealing and now charged with criminal organization, De Crescenzo denies everything: "I've always said I used drugs, but I've never sold. I found myself in something that wasn't mine; they took advantage of me."

Her most traumatic memory? "The rape I suffered at the hands of three black men at the Central Station. I woke up in a sea of ​​blood. The soldiers stopped everything. From then on, I understood that if I didn't stop, I would die." An episode that, paradoxically, she calls "a liberation": "Since that moment, I haven't touched anything. I've been truly living for seven years. My life is only seven years." And about the apology? "To my children, for what I put them through as children."

She would tell her late father: "I didn't enjoy it. I miss you." Today, also on trial for defamation and threats against Green Party MP Francesco Borrelli—in collusion with his son Rosario, accused of sparking "a climate of hatred" with social media videos—Rita is reluctant: "Let's get the MP out of the way. I'd shake his hand, make peace for everyone's good. We both made a mistake."

Redemption comes with TikTok

"I've gone from rags to riches. I have more admirers, but they can't stand me because I'm too honest." She earns "€700 per party in Naples, double outside," and organizes buses to get people to vote: "If I ran, I'd get good results. There are so many people like me who don't know anything about politics."

She recalls the invasion of Roccaraso in January: "I made videos, but I didn't make any money." Now she's studying with homeschoolers and dreams big: "A film with Christian De Sica, a Christmas comedy set in Naples. I've been a fan of his since I was a child; I've seen all his films." She also makes a hilarious remark about her supposed relationship with Massimo Ranieri: "My grandfather and his grandparents have the same last name, my grandmother is his cousin."

The artist denies it, but Rita insists. In the studio, Fagnani asks her: "Who do you owe an apology to?" "My children. I've been alive for seven years." And he concludes: "Look how good I feel now. You can change in life, and I'm here to tell you about it." A story of open wounds and hopes, which kept millions of viewers glued to Rai2.