Colin Firth‘s ex-wife, eco-fashion campaigner Livia Firth, has dramatically handed back her MBE.
She was seen tearing up the prestigious certificate in a new social media video, explaining that she’s sending the honour back to St James’s Palace in fury at what she calls Britain’s ‘appeasement’ of US President Donald Trump.
The 56-year-old activist, who was married to Oscar-winning actor Firth for 22 years until 2019, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce that she has returned the medal she was awarded six years ago for services to the fashion industry.
Livia explained she could not hold the honour after seeing the US president ‘appeased and honoured’ during his visit to the UK last week.
‘Because I can’t reconcile those two positions, I have shredded my honour and I am returning it to sender,’ she wrote in her letter to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.
Livia, whose famous ‘Green Carpet Challenge’ was once the hallmark of Hollywood awards season – dressing stars from Meryl Streep to Emma Watson in ethically-made couture – shared a video of herself holding her MBE medal before ripping up her certificate.
Colin Firth ‘s ex-wife, eco-fashion campaigner Livia Firth, has dramatically handed back her MBE
She was seen tearing up the prestigious certificate in a new social media video, explaining that she’s sending the honour back to St James’s Palace in fury at what she calls Britain’s ‘appeasement’ of US President Donald Trump
She also shared photos of the medal in its box and her handwritten letter – mistakenly dated October 24, 2025 rather than today’s date of September 24.
In the note, she accused Britain of legitimising Trump with what she described as a ‘frightening and cowardly display of appeasement’.
She explained: ‘As I write this, we see that horrible excuse of a human (called Trump) in full flow at the UN General Assembly, his poisonous rhetoric amplified and legitimised.
‘Last week’s display showed me nothing of those values I thought King Charles upheld – or its spirit. Rather, a frightening and cowardly display of appeasing someone who stands for the obliteration of the natural world and the most vulnerable people on earth.’
The Italian-born filmmaker and businesswoman, who co-founded the pioneering sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire five years ago in recognition of her work to improve conditions for garment workers around the globe.
She accepted the honour on behalf of the many factory workers and activists she had campaigned alongside, despite her discomfort with the legacy of empire.
She continued in the letter: ‘Although I stand against the British Empire and remnants of that toxic system, I accepted the honour on behalf of the many garment worker activists who had educated and supported me.’
Livia was also keen to stress that she had long admired King Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, for his ‘decades battling on behalf of social and environmental justice’.
The 56-year-old activist took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce that she has returned the medal she was awarded six years ago for services to the fashion industry
Livia explained she could not hold the honour after seeing the US president ‘appeased and honoured’ during his visit to the UK last week
Livia, 55, divorced from the Pride and Prejudice actor, 65, in 2021 after 24 years of marriage having met on the set of a BBC documentary in 1996
But she said she could no longer reconcile her respect for the monarch with his government’s treatment of Trump. She signed the letter off as ‘Livia Giuggioli (Firth)’.
Born in Rome, Livia studied film before meeting Colin Firth on the set of the BBC drama Nostromo in 1996, where she was working as a production assistant. The couple married the following year and went on to have two sons, Luca, 24, and Matteo, 22.
During their marriage, Livia was a regular on the red carpet alongside the King’s Speech star, using her profile to champion sustainable fashion.
The Firths’ marriage collapsed in 2019 after 22 years following a scandal involving an affair Livia had with Italian journalist Marco Brancaccia during a temporary separation in 2015-2016.
Although they reunited, the affair and subsequent drama, including Livia’s initial accusation of stalking against Marco, led them to break up for good.
Despite her split from the actor, Livia has retained her own formidable reputation as one of the world’s most influential eco-campaigners.
She has advised major luxury houses on sustainability, addressed the UN on labour rights, and produced hard-hitting documentaries on the exploitation at the heart of fast fashion.
