Remember Rachel Green's Italian Stallion? He's Only Gotten Better With Age

There are moments in life when it becomes very difficult not to yell at television screens. 

That crushing and weird scene when Andrew Lincoln shows up at Keira Knightley's door in Love Actually, for example.

Or, when Carrie chose Big over Aidan in Sex And the City.

Or that time Izzie left Alex in Grey's Anatomy.

Or when Rachel ditched Paolo in Friends.

If you don't remember Paolo (first of all, shame on you), then you might recall he was first introduced in Season 1, Episode 7 in "The One With The Blackout" when Rachel bumped into him in her apartment block while looking for the owner of a cat that scratched Ross.

At first, all we know about Paolo is that he has curly brown hair, huge muscles and speaks very little English – a trio of factors that has jealous Ross mocking him at every opportunity and calling him a 'crap weasel' to his face.

But after a few weeks of dating, Rachel soon gets rid of Paolo. He hits on Phoebe, so fair enough. He does get a brief revival as she sleeps with him again in Season 2 when feeling depressed about Ross and Julie, but that's it. 

If ever there were an occasion to call someone 'the one who got away,' it's officially now because fast forward 22 years and Paolo is seriously bringing sexy back. 

Paolo, played by 53-year-old Cosimo Fusco is a serious contender for the silver fox crown (sorry Clooney) and you'll be happy to know, he's  been drumming up an impressive CV of Italian and American work since his debut on Friends.

In the years since, he's starred in Gone in Sixty Seconds alongside Nicolas Cage, Alias and Ewan McGregor and Tom Hank's film Angels & Demons. 

We welcome you back with open arms, Paolo. 

No, seriously. 

Katie O'Malley

Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.