At the height of the coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 149 people in Italy and infected more than 3000, the dating antics of the man known for his infamous “bunga bunga” soirees brought Italians a welcome distraction.
The 83-year-old billionaire and 34-year-old Francesca Pascale “remain friends”, Forza Italia said in a statement on Wednesday.
Pascale, who once said in an interview that she asked Berlusconi to marry her every day, appeared to have been caught off guard, saying she was “astonished” by the statement, according to Italian daily La Repubblica.
“I will hold him dear forever,” she said.
“I wish him all the happiness in the world and hope he finds someone who will take care of him as I have.”
The twice-divorced media magnate, whose domination of Italian politics for more than two decades despite sex scandals, scandals and legal woes earned him the nickname “the immortal”, is reportedly dating 30-year-old Marta Fascina, an MP from his party.
Berlusconi is one of Italy’s most controversial public figures.
In 2013, he was sentenced to seven years in jail for paying for sex with a 17-year-old, though that conviction was later overturned.
He is still on trial for showering young women who attended his “bunga bunga” parties with cash gifts and presents to buy their silence over reportedly racy dinners, which some guests alleged descended into orgies.
Berlusconi’s second wife, Veronica Lario, who has three children with him, said at the time of their divorce that she could no longer tolerate his “consorting with minors”.
Rumours have been circulating in the media for a while over his relationship with Fascina.
But once paparazzi pictures emerged of the former premier and Fascina leaving a hotel in Switzerland walking Pascale’s dog, the secret was out.
