| Full name | Luisa Gibellini |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Luisa Ancelotti |
| Born | c. 1957–1958 |
| Died | May 2021, aged 63 |
| From | Medesano, Province of Parma, Italy |
| Known for | First wife of Carlo Ancelotti; mother of Katia and Davide Ancelotti |
| Children | Katia Ancelotti (b. 1984), Davide Ancelotti (b. 1989) |
Luisa Gibellini — sometimes recorded under the surname Ancelotti in biographical references — was an Italian woman from the Parma area who is best known as the first wife of football manager Carlo Ancelotti and the mother of their two children. She and Carlo were together for roughly 25 years, and Italian obituaries remember her as someone with deep local roots and a genuine love of sport. She died in May 2021 at the age of 63 after a prolonged illness.
Who Was Luisa Gibellini?
Luisa was originally from Medesano, a small town in the province of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. Local reporting at the time of her death described her as well known in the area, and specifically noted her strong passion for sport as a defining part of her identity. She was not a public figure in the conventional sense, and she left very little trace in national or international media independent of her marriage to Ancelotti.
She died in May 2021 in a hospital in the province of Reggio Emilia, having battled a serious degenerative illness for some time. Italian outlets including Sky Sport Italia and the Gazzetta di Parma confirmed her death at 63. The name variant Luisa Gibelline, used in a small number of sources, refers to the same person.
Her Marriage to Carlo Ancelotti
Luisa and Carlo Ancelotti married in 1983, when Carlo was playing as a midfielder for AS Roma. Some sources describe the two as childhood sweethearts who had known each other from an early age in the Parma area, where Ancelotti himself grew up in the nearby village of Reggiolo.
They remained married for approximately 25 years, a period that covered the full arc of Carlo’s playing career and the early decades of his rise as one of Europe’s most successful club managers. Their separation came around 2008, with formal legal proceedings recorded at the Tribunal of Parma in 2010. All sources consistently identify Luisa as his first wife, clearly distinguished from his later marriage to Canadian businesswoman Mariann Barrena McClay.
During those 25 years together, Luisa was part of a family life that moved alongside the demands of professional football at the highest level. The two had children early in the marriage and raised them through the years of Carlo’s appointments at clubs across Italy and Europe.
Her Passion for Sport
Italian coverage of Luisa’s death, including the Gazzetta di Parma obituary, consistently highlighted her love of sport as a central part of who she was. This was framed as a personal characteristic belonging to her in her own right, not simply an extension of her husband’s career in football. The specific phrase used in local reporting — that she was “molto conosciuta nel territorio per la sua passione per lo sport” (very well known in the area for her passion for sport) — suggests this was something her community associated with her directly.
Beyond this general characterisation, the verified sources do not provide specific detail about the sports she practised or any particular achievements in that area. What is clear is that sport mattered to her and that it was part of how people in her home region knew and remembered her.
Katia and Davide Ancelotti — Her Children
Luisa and Carlo had two children during their marriage. Katia Ancelotti was born in 1984, a year after the wedding. Davide Ancelotti followed in 1989. Both have grown up to have a visible connection to football.
Davide in particular has built a career in the game as an assistant coach, working alongside his father at clubs including Everton and Real Madrid. Katia has also maintained a presence within Ancelotti’s broader professional circle. Italian football media repeatedly identified Luisa as the mother of both children, and her role in raising them through the years of Ancelotti’s career across multiple countries is part of how her life is characterised in biographical accounts.
For those researching the Ancelotti family’s background and early history, resources like ceosuccessmodel offer further context on the lives and careers of prominent figures in football management.
Later Years and Death
After she and Carlo separated, Luisa largely remained out of public view. Her death in May 2021 prompted a wave of reporting in Italian sports media, reflecting both the respect she had earned in her local community and the significance of her role in Ancelotti’s personal history. Carlo Ancelotti was at the time manager of Everton, and the news of her passing was widely covered as a significant loss for the family.
She was 63 years old when she died. Her illness had lasted for a considerable time before her death, described in Italian reports as a serious degenerative condition. She was buried in the Parma area, the region she had always called home.
