Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his fiancée Francesca Pascale appeared on the cover of the latest issue of Italian Vanity Fair, in a tell-all that revealed the 76-year-old disgraced leader's courtship with his 28-year-old bride-to-be.
According to the Independent, Pascale, who has largely been made fun of for her involvement with the politician known for his "bunga-bunga" parties, told Vanity Fair that she went after Berlusconi when she was underage.
"I was underage when I decided that I would get him," former saleswoman Pascale said. "I immediately offered to leave him my phone number and asked him for his."
"'Well, you are keen,'" Berlusconi replied, according to Pascale.
"I have sought him out; I have courted him; I have made him fall in love and get engaged," she continued. "I have done it all - and still do it all - virtually by myself. He just needs to say yes."
But Pascale ran into her fair share of opposition from both family members and the public, she told Vanity Fair.
"My mom told me, 'We admire him, too, but he could be your father.' Women threw themselves at him. It wasn't easy for me. I never attended those dinner parties because I knew I would not have been able to keep silent," she said, referring to the infamous, wild parties Berlusconi held at his Italian villa.
The timing of the cover story couldn't be more noticeable: Berlusconi was convicted earlier this year of having sex with an underage prostitute at one of his parties, then abusing his rights in office to cover it up. Last week, the Italian Supreme Court ruled that Berlusconi's holding company Fininvest SpA must pay 500 million euros to Compagnie Indestriali Riunite SpA for damages, after a battle to buy out publisher Mondadori turned ugly. Berlusconi's lawyer was convicted in 2007 of bribing a judge in the case, which first arose 22 years ago.
