President Donald Trump has driven Colin Firth’s ex-wife to return an honor bestowed upon her by the British government. Livia Giuggioli gave back the MBE awarded to her by the U.K. in protest over the president’s state visit in September. Giuggioli, an Italian national known as the “queen of the green carpet” for her work in sustainable fashion, also slammed Trump for what she called his “poisonous rhetoric.” The 56-year-old ripped up her MBE certificate in a video on Instagram, saying, “I have been reflecting on his visit to the U.K. last week and I am afraid I can’t reconcile [with] the way he was appeased and honored and, again, legitimized.” The environmentalist added that the U.K. had rolled out the red carpet for “someone who stands for the obliteration of the natural world and the most vulnerable people on Earth.” She was given the fourth-highest award in the Order of the British Empire as part of a tranche of foreign nationals in 2019. An MBE, or Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is awarded by a member of the royal family for sustained, positive contributions to society. Giving hers back, Giuggioli said, “As I write this, we see that horrible excuse of a human (called Trump) in full flow at the U.N. General Assembly.” She was referring to his rambling, almost-hour-long speech after the teleprompter broke. She and Firth were married from 1997 to 2019 and have two sons together.
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