The man who was declared the “most handsome and attractive man in Europe,” originally from Italy, announced last year that he is leaving his modeling career and wants to renounce worldly life for spiritual reasons.
Edoardo Santini was 17 years old when he won the title of Italy’s most handsome man in 2019 at a national beauty contest organized by the fashion group ABE. After studying drama and dance, and working as a model, he confirmed on Instagram that he plans to give up his career for his faith.
“My father decided to marry my mother when he was 21 because she was pregnant, and my mother became a mother at 21,” he said in a video clip that he shared.
“At the age of 21, I am on the path to becoming, God willing, a priest. Over the past few years, I have met people who showed me what it means to be ‘the church.’ They gave me the strength to explore this field that I have carried with me since childhood, but various fears had prevented me from studying it deeply,” said Santini.
He explained that he “took the first step” last year when he began living with two priests, which he described as “the best experience” of his life.
“By the end of the year, it felt natural to ask the bishop to enter a preparatory course, a year that precedes life in the seminary. And here I am, studying theology and serving two parishes in the Florentine diocese.”
Santini stated that he will “set aside” his modeling and dancing careers, opting for a new world where he “met wonderful people with pure hearts, to whom I owe a lot, who enabled me to grow.”
“Of course, I won’t leave everything behind,” he added. “Because they make me who I am. But I will live them in a different context.”
Since deciding on a spiritual life, he has completely withdrawn from social media as of August 2023 and has not been active since.
