An Italian woman killed herself after sending a taunting video of her having sex with a new man to her ex-boyfriend - before the footage went viral on the internet.

Tiziana Cantone, from Naples in Italy, was filmed performing a sex act on a man and the video was uploaded on to the internet before being widely shared.

There are claims in Italy that she had sent the video to her former lover to taunt him. But the explicit footage appeared online in 2015 and she faced months of abuse and mocking.

According to close friends and relatives, the 31-year-old was deeply depressed and on the brink of suicide for months prior to her death.

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Tiziana Cantone, from Naples in Italy, was filmed performing a sex act on a man and the footage was uploaded on to the internet before being widely shared online

There are claims in Italy that she had sent the video to her former lover to taunt him

They claim that she could not handle the negative attention from social media.

Ms Cantone could reportedly be heard on the sex tape saying: 'Are you making a video? Bravo.'

Local media reports that this phrase has been repeatedly used by people who made parodies of the sex tape and shared them online - including Italian Serie A players Paolo Cannavaro, 35, and Antonio Floro Flores, 33.

The clip shows Sassuolo defender Paolo Cannavaro being recorded by Chievo Verona player Floro Flores as they staged the short skit in a supermarket.

The footage starts with Floro Flores doing a video selfie saying: 'But where is he (Paolo Cannavaro), what is he doing?'

The camera then pans round to Cannavaro who is kneeling in front of a shop shelf holding a carton of juice.

Paolo Cannavaro - the younger brother of FIFA World Cup and Ballon D'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro – says: 'Are you taking a video? Bravo!' and both footballers start to laugh.

The video was recorded over a year ago when the men were both Sassuolo players. Neither have commented on the recent media reports.

When her own video was shared widely, Ms Cantone is said to have started to receive abusive messages. She was also reportedly often recognised on the street and even had to quit her job.

The sex tape became so widely known that she was also forced to change her name.

Ms Cantone underwent a legal process at the court of Naples North where she was granted a new legal name to avoid being recognised.

Her lawyer, Roberta Manzillo, is said to have taken legal action against a number of internet search engines as well as people responsible for sharing the sex tape on social networks.

According to close friends and relatives, the 31-year-old was deeply depressed and on the brink of suicide for months prior to her death because of the explicit tape

Prosecutors in her home city of Naples have opened an investigation into her death, leaving open the possibility of criminal charges being filed

The lawyer said: 'We have appealed to the right to be forgotten law. Facebook was immediately ordered to remove the content from its social network platform and to remove every post or publication containing images (photos and / or video) that refer specifically to the person.'

Prosecutors in her home city of Naples have opened an investigation into her death, leaving open the possibility of criminal charges being filed.

'Why are these images still there? Why can people still mock and laugh at this young woman who ended her days because of this humiliation that she suffered?' wrote Naples daily Il Mattino on Thursday.

Her friend Teresa Petrosino, told the Corriere della Sera that Ms Catone had wanted to 'leave everything behind' after being 'destroyed' by the abuse.

She added: 'I wonder how anyone can be so fierce, how to rage against a girl who has not done anything wrong.

'I think that they should be ashamed of all those who have filled the web of insults and meanwhile secretly watched the images.'