Anne Hathaway’s ex reveals the couple was talking marriage just before his conviction

After serving three-and-a-half year behind bars, Anne Hathaway’s Italian ex, Raffaello Follieri, has finally broken his silence on the couple’s relationship that became victim of his wrongdoings.

In his recent interview with the People Magazine in his native Rome, Follieri said that he was madly in love with Hathaway and the couple was considering getting married just before he was sentenced.

Italy’s businessman, Follieri was arrested in 2008 for charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Following his release from the federal prison in Loreto, Pa, he was escorted out of the U.S. to his own country.

“I'm not a saint,” Follieri said. “But I'm not the devil.” The 33-year-old told People he thought his life was over after he was sent to prison. "But I learned to survive by focusing on getting through one day at a time."

In 2004, the actress was only 21 when she first began dating Follieri. Not knowing where so much money had been flowing in, Hathaway spent four wonderful years with Follieri until one day, the U.S. authorities came to their apartment and took him away in handcuffs. Hathaway, devastated after discovering that Follieri was actually guilty, broke up with him in the days following his arrest.

Anne admitted to the Irish Central at that time that “she can be too trusting” at times and Raffaello’s fraudulent behavior had left her “very wary”. “It takes a minute for me to let my guard down, but once I do and I get to know someone, I’m very open, very trusting. Some might say too trusting.”

Hathaway did not, however, let her personal life get in the way of her career. Soon after her breakup, she appeared in “Rachael Getting Married” as a recovering drug addict, nabbing the Oscar nomination for the Best Actress. The 29-year-old actress is now a days happily planning her wedding with long-time boyfriend, Adam Shulman.

The actress was gifted several pieces of jewelry by her ex-boyfriend. Those gifts are still in the process of being auctioned off by U.S. authorities.