Gianni di Marco

Name: Gianni di Marco
First Appeared: 29th January 1998
Last Appeared: 3rd August 2000
Played by: Marc Bannerman

Gianni di Marco strutted into Walford with the rest of his family in 1998, bringing a dash of Italian charm to the square. As the younger of the two di Marco brothers, with Beppe being the older, Gianni was always in the thick of the action. He worked as a chef at the family restaurant, Giuseppe’s, named in memory of their late father, and eventually took over as the manager. Gianni’s good looks and fiery personality made him quite the heartthrob, but his relationships were anything but smooth.

Gianni’s romance with Annie Palmer hit a snag when doubts arose about his paternity. A DNA test confirmed he was indeed a di Marco, but the relationship fizzled out anyway. He then fell for Jackie Owen, but her severe Premenstrual Tension (PMT) made their relationship tumultuous, to say the least. Jackie’s violent temper and mood swings took a toll on Gianni, leading to their eventual breakup when she left Walford with her brother Steve Owen. Gianni also had a brief fling with Louise Raymond, but it was nothing more than a casual affair.

Life in Walford wasn’t all romance for Gianni; he had his fair share of conflicts too. Alongside his brother Beppe, Gianni often butted heads with the Mitchell brothers, Grant and Phil. When Gianni’s youngest sister, Nicky, claimed she was assaulted by her maths teacher, Rod Morris, Gianni’s protective instincts kicked in, leading to an assault charge that was later dropped. The di Marco family decided to leave Walford in August 2000, moving to Leicester to live with their uncle Franco, leaving Beppe and his son Joe behind.