Onetime Most Beautiful Man in Italy Leaves it All Behind for the Priesthood

Edoardo Santini, a young model who at the age of 17 was voted the most beautiful man in Italy, has announced that he's hanging up his dream of becoming a star and will instead devote his life to God.

As reported by the Daily Mail, before choosing to devote his life to the priesthood, he was devoted to his dream of becoming a star and spent his lifetime studying things like acting and dance to help get him there.

Santini made the announcement on social media on his 21st birthday.

"At 21 years of age," he said in the video, "I find myself on the path towards becoming a priest, God willing.

"I've decided to give up modeling work, acting and dance, but I won't abandon all my passions, I'll just live them differently, offering them up to God," he added. He also said that he has joined a seminary near Florence.

His missive to his fans went on, with the Daily Mail providing an English translation of his birthday address: "At 21 years old my father took the decision to marry my mother because she was pregnant and my mum, at 21, became a mother. Me, at 21 years old, I find myself taking the path to become, God willing, a priest. In these past years I've been able to meet people who have shown me what it means to be 'church'. They have given me the strength to investigate this question that I've taken with me from childhood, but various fears stopped me from studying it at a deeper level. Last year, I took the first step," he said.

According to the Daily Mail, Santini went to live with a couple priests at some point, and referred to it as the best experience of his life.

"At the end of the year it was natural for me to ask the bishop to enter the preparatory course, the year that precedes life in the seminary," he went on. "And here I am, studying theology and serving two parishes in the Florentine diocese."

One doesn't go from the most beautiful man in Italy to the priesthood without a little bit of pushback, of course, and he also addressed the naysayers on his Instagram, saying, "of course I have people that speak behind my back. There are those who have no problem telling me that I'm a disappointment, even in my family. But there are also those who support me, believers and non-believers."

Santini went on to say that although the idea of abandoning his dream is terrifying, he's firm in his decision and has no regrets. "Because now I can shout: I am Edoardo, I am 21 year[s] old, and I am happy," he announced.

Regardless of what you may think about Santini's decision to forego modeling and stardom for the priesthood, we can all agree that his title of "most handsome" is well-earned. Fortunately, some of his shots live on via Instagram. Here's a taste: