Colin firth and wife
Colin Firth and wife, Livia Giuggioli at Italy Cinema Festival, Venice.FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

The quintessential British man of our dreams from multiple films – Colin Firth, has now become a dual citizen of Great Britain and Italy, following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Firth had applied to become an Italian citizen last year itself, as the British media had reported.

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Firth's wife, film producer Livia Giuggioli is Italian herself and had also applied for British citizenship. Firth himself had said in a statement to the Associated Press that having passports from two different countries had never been an issue for either of them.

However, post Brexit, Firth claimed that "with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it is sensible that we should all get the same." He had expressed his opinions regarding Brexit loud and clear, calling it a disaster, as reported by AP.

While it is his wife's citizenship that made the Bridget Jones star eligible for an Italian citizenship, the couple's two children already hold dual citizenship to both Great Britain and Italy.

The Italian interior ministry confirmed that Firth has been granted a passport. They said: "The very famous actor, who won an Oscar for the film The King's Speech, is married to a citizen from our country and has often declared his love for our land."

Firth went on to add that, "I will always be extremely British (you only have to look at or listen to me). Britain is our home and we love it here." The 56-year-old actor who won an Oscar in 2011 for The King's Speech, has been married to Livia since 2017.

The couple still live with their two sons in Britain. And while Colin admitted that he will continue basing his career out of UK, "Anyone will tell you when you marry an Italian you don't just marry one person; you marry a family and perhaps an entire country. Like almost everybody I have a passionate love of Italy and joining my wife and kids in being dual citizens will be a huge privilege."

Colin and wife
Livia Giuggioli and Colin Firth at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.Frazer Harrison/Getty Image

Among the European Union countries, Italy is the only one that allows dual citizenship, thus letting Firth keep his British passport too. The Italian announcement about Firth's citizenship arrived relatively closely post Theresa May flying to Florence to deliver a speech addressing Brexit negotiations and reassuring business leaders.

On the other hand, multiple European Union countries, such as Germany, France and Ireland have reported the apparent surge in people with British nationality seeking a new citizenship post the Brexit issue.