Gianni Versace's partner says new TV drama is 'ridiculous'

Versace, one of the fashion world's leading designers, was murdered in 1997

The boyfriend of fashion designer Gianni Versace has described a forthcoming TV drama depicting the star's murder as "ridiculous".

Antonio D'Amico was Versace's partner for 15 years. He found the designer after he was shot in Miami in 1997.

D'Amico said an early image from FX's American Crime Story, which shows the reaction of his character - played by Ricky Martin - was wrong.

"The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body in his arms is ridiculous."

The 58-year-old told The Observer newspaper he had not been consulted for the series, which will be titled American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

Ricky Martin, best known for his singing career, is playing Versace's partner

He compared the photo to Michelangelo's Pieta, which depicts the body of Jesus in the arms of his mother after the crucifixion.

"Maybe it's the director's poetic licence, but that is not how I reacted," D'Amico said.

He explained that in reality, he ran out to find Versace on the steps of his Miami mansion but was soon dragged away from the scene.

He said: "I saw Gianni lying on the steps, with blood around him. At that point, everything went dark. I was pulled away, I didn't see any more."

But D'Amico said he wouldn't mind if Ricky Martin got in touch so he could offer him some insight into his former partner's life.

The real Versace

"It's getting to know the small things about a relationship… for example, Gianni was so ordered and focused at work but in his private life everything was disorganised," he told the paper.

"He'd leave the bathroom in a mess. At a certain point I said, 'Enough!' And when it came to cooking, he didn't even know how to [boil] an egg."

Versace, who was 50 when he died, was shot by Andrew Cunanan, who had murdered at least four other people in a three-month killing spree.

The body of Cunanan was found eight days later in a Miami houseboat following a huge manhunt. He had shot himself in the head with the gun he used to kill Versace.

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace is set to air in 2018.