A love life played out in the media glare doesn't have to sink your career, Italian swim ace Federica Pellegrini said Tuesday.
''Love doesn't hurt. In fact, sometimes it helps,'' said Pellegrini after smashing 'love rival' Laure Manaudou's world record and claiming gold in the European championship 400m freestyle.
Italian media had branded Pellegrini ''an eternal runner-up'' after she kept finishing second to the French superstar.
They claimed Pellegrini's attachment to Manaudou's ex-boyfriend Luca Marin was affecting her performance.
Pellegrini blasted back after winning the gold Monday night, erupting from the water to sign 'blah blah blah' at the press pack.
But she wasn't just targeting her critics in the media, Pellegrini revealed Tuesday.
''It was also a little dig at my coach, who had been getting at me a bit,'' the 19-year-old told reporters.
''Now he's just going to have to accept my love life. He has to understand that love doesn't hurt, that there's nothing wrong with it.''
Pellegrini is now being tipped to claim 21-year-old Manaudou's Olympic 400 m crown in Beijing this summer.
Asked if she could cope with that kind of pressure, she replied: ''You don't know how much pressure I've had to soak up. Pressure just washes off me''.
Pellegrini's gold set the seal on Italy's glittering display at the European championships.
With five golds, seven silvers and nine bronzes, it came second in the medals table to Russia.
