The
fact that de Rossi answered the question at all--and that she
used the "g" word, the first time she's done so on
the record--is the latest sign of a small but significant strategy
shift in how de Rossi publicly handles her personal life.

In
the past, de Rossi has consistently shied
away from saying anything about her personal relationships
in interviews, never officially acknowledging her well-known
(in entertainment circles, at least) relationship with girlfriend
Francesca Gregorini, but never denying it either. She
always arrived alone to high-profile events like the Golden
Globes, and only met up with Gregorini at the after-parties,
where the two rarely allowed themselves to be photographed alone
together.

"It
sounds so trite, but my private life is mine," de Rossi
told Australia's The Age in May of 2003. "When
you have the paparazzi hiding in the bushes outside your home,
about the only thing you can control is how you respond publicly.
When I hear celebrities talking about their marriages or other
things that are intensely personal, I cringe. I just think,
'Keep it to yourself'. It's like desperate attention-seeking."