Berlusconi's Wife: He's Ridiculous

Veronica Lario will take reduced alimony payment

(NEWSER) - Love hurts, but it's divorce that's pummeling Silvio Berlusconi's wallet, reports the Independent . He's agreed to fork over a $105 million villa that soon-to-be ex-wife Veronica Lario is extremely attached to, and she in return will settle for alimony much less than the $5.3 million a month she had originally demanded. The missus, armed with Berlusconi's string of sex scandals, had vowed to make things messy if the Italian PM didn't go along with one of the most expensive divorce settlements in history. More»

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi's antics with models and call girls have threatened to derail his government, but the woman at the center of the sex-and-corruption scandal says she's seen it all before. "This is how Italy always works," Patrizia D’Addario tells the Financial Times. The hooker says she came forward to protect herself and recounts how her house was robbed by burglars who stole her underwear and photos from the PM. More»

And says pols can't expect much private life

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi’s daughter says she was “astounded” by allegations that the Italian premier consorted with model Noemi Letizia before she turned 18, Bloomberg reports. “I never hung out with elderly men,” Barbara Berlusconi, 25 and the mom of two, tells the Italian edition of Vanity Fair. “It’s not something I have an experience with.” More»

(NEWSER) - It's probably not a bad time for Silvio Berlusconi to get out of the country for a bit. The Italian prime minister will visit the White House June 15 to talk with President Obama about serious G8 stuff ahead of next month's world summit, reports AFP. Back home, meanwhile, Berlusconi is weathering the embarrassment of having five photos published in a Spanish newspaper showing scantily clad guests at his villa in Sardinia. More»

Pressure grows on Italian PM for showgirl antics

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi is still fighting suggestions of an improper relationship with an 18-year-old, but the Times of London reports that several young showgirls and TV presenters were at the Italian PM's infamous New Year's Party—and call him code name Papi, or "Daddy." A judge has suppressed photos of the party, but journalists who have seen them say they depict topless women embracing in an outdoor shower. More»