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<\/p>\nItaly\u2019s “most handsome man” has given up his modelling career to become a priest.<\/p>\n
Former pageant winner, Edoardo Santini, 21, took to Instagram to tell his followers he will be joining the priesthood over the weekend.<\/p>\n
He has previously anointed the \u2018Most Handsome Man\u2019 title in the Il Bello d’Italia pageant organised by fashion group ABE in 2019 when he was only 17 years old. This was the start of his budding modelling career.<\/p>\n
But only four years later, he walked away from the glitz and glamour to devote all his time to his faith.<\/p>\n
In an Instagram post on his page, @_edoardosantini_<\/b> , he said: “At 21 years old, my father took the decision to marry my mother because she was pregnant and my mum, at 21, became a mother.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI, at 21 years old, find myself taking the path to becoming, God willing, a priest.<\/p>\n
“In these past years, I’ve been able to meet people who have shown me what it means to be ‘church’. They have given me the strength to investigate this question that I’ve taken with me from childhood but various fears stopped me from studying it at a deeper level.”<\/p>\n
He will be starting his journey towards priesthood at a seminary near Florence.<\/p>\n
He captioned his post by explaining that he took the first step toward his goal after he began living with two other priests, he described this experience as the \u201cbest\u201d of his life. In preparation for this drastic career change, he took a \u201cpreparatory course\u201d at the end of last year.<\/p>\n
He added: “At the end of the year it was natural for me to ask the bishop to enter the preparatory course, the year that precedes life in the seminary. And here I am, studying theology and serving two parishes in the Florentine diocese.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> Edoardo will be putting his modelling career aside, but will not be abandoning his hobbies altogether. He said: \u201cOf course, I won’t abandon everything, because they make me who I am. But I will live them in a different context.”<\/p>\n He added that he is not naive that his past will get tongues wagging, but that does not stop him from wanting to pursue his goals.<\/p>\n He admitted that even his family members have made negative comments about his career change.<\/p>\n The drastic change \u2018terrifies\u2019 him but he concluded by saying that he is content with his life. “I am Edoardo, I am 21 years old and I am happy.”<\/p>\n He claimed even people in his family have told him he is a “disappointment” over his change of profession, and admitted it “terrifies” him to make such a big life change even though he knows he will not regret it because he can now proudly say: “I am Edoardo, I am 21 years old and I am happy.”<\/p>\n
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