Claudia Byatt
Relationships

Leo Sayer finally ties the knot in intimate ceremony

 Pop star Leo Sayer has married his longtime partner Donatella Piccinetti after nearly four decades of dating.

The You Make Me Feel Like Dancing singer wed Piccinetti in a private ceremony in their home in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Sayer, 74, took to Instagram to share the news, posting a black-and-white photo of Piccinetti’s hand over his, showcasing their new rings.

The caption explained the lovebirds celebrated with a reception lunch in Berrima, close to their home, and that they "couldn't be happier with how the day went.”

A friend of the couple, publishing executive Jackie Frank also shared a photo of the pair on their special day, both dressed in white.

Speaking to the Johnnie and Tiggy Walker Consciously Coupling podcast in 2021, the two of them revealed that they first met in 1984.

Italian-born Picinetti had recently moved to London and was working as a hostess at an Italian restaurant when the pop star came in to dine.

"I could see this guy looking at me and not eating… so I went up to them and said, 'Is everything OK?' And he said, 'Yeah. Who are you anyway?'" she recalled. "And then people, they were sitting around the bar, they said, 'Oh, do you know who that is?' I said no. 'Oh, that's Leo Sayer.' I knew his songs, I realized after, but I didn't know who he was.”

Sayer said he was instantly struck by his wife-to-be and returned to the restaurant daily so he could ask her out. Little did he know, she was on vacation at the time, so he left her an office full of flowers.

"It was love at first sight for me," he said. "She's just this lovely glowing light in my life.”

The couple admitted that they have separated throughout their long relationship, "We've not had an exactly normal relationship," Piccinetti said. The pair shared that there was always something between them that kept them coming back to each other.

"This connection was always there,” Piccinetti told the podcast. "It was undeniable… It's quite amazing, actually. It has been an adventure.”

Image credit: Getty/Instagram

Tags:
Leo Sayer, Donatella Piccinetti, Wedding, Marriage