A dancer on the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship has admitted to being on the bridge with her lover captain Francesco Schettino, who is on trial for manslaughter.
Domnica Cemortan described Schettino as a hero for bringing the ship nearer to shore, rather than letting it sink out in the sea, the Mirror reports.
The dancer had previously denied any affair with Schettino, saying she was just a friend of his, and that they had dined together before the shipwreck.
However, she said had not seen him since the incident.
Schettino is facing multiple charges, including manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship.
The cruise liner had struck rocks and partially sank off the Italy 's Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea in January 2012, killing 32 of 4,200 people on board.
The submerged ship was up-righted last month under a huge salvage operation.