A festive afternoon, December 8th, and a television talk show where the spark ignited in an instant, without even the time to go off-air to avoid a catastrophe.

At BellaMá, on Rai2, the Christmas atmosphere lasts less than a minute : Valeria Marini is sent off live by Pierluigi Diaco, and the scene, as unexpected as it is edgy, immediately set social media, the public and the corridors of public television ablaze.

Diaco opens the show with an announcement that chills the studio: "The next episode will be the last of Posta del Cuore."

Valeria Marini, present and smiling until that moment , doesn't take it well at all: "You decided it... I'm being honest, you'll see it on my social media." The Cagliari showgirl's response is blunt.

He tries to defuse the situation: "I don't want to cause controversy..." She retorts: "I'm not causing controversy, I've never caused any controversy... I decided to do so."

A back-and-forth that bounced around like a pinball machine, full of sparks and backstories, until it took an unexpected turn: a true "public farewell." Diaco ends the conversation (or at least tries to), Valeria reiterates. "Our contractual relationship was over... yes, I decided that," Giaco clarifies.

But Marini, who knows the scene and dominates it, isn't willing to play the "fired" part: "It's not true, I decided it. And I've never caused any controversy."

Forced smiles, and the afternoon scene on Rai2 becomes a small theater of friction, contracts, and professional pride. And this is where the debate ignites: was it really necessary?

However, the live dismissal seemed gratuitous, abrupt, and above all inelegant to many viewers.

And indeed, the public didn't take it well. A chorus of criticism erupted on social media against Diaco, accusing him of "humiliating" Marini and choosing the most ostentatious and inelegant approach possible. Many wrote that "certain things are said in private," others vowed not to watch the show again without the showgirl.