Berlusconi's wife says marriage split has hurt her
Under-fire Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s estranged wife went public over their marital split today declared the scandal had “besmirched” her dignity.
In the fallout from a scandal that began with her suggestions that her husband had an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old model, she wrote to one of Italy’s leading newspapers.
The letter, published on today’s front page of Corriere della Sera she said: “What is true is that I have always loved him and planned my life in function of my marriage and my family.”
Veronica Lario, a former actress who is Mr Berlusconi’s second wife, has for years lived a separate life from her billionaire husband. She announced last month that she had hired a lawyer to begin separation and divorce proceedings.
Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly denied anything untoward and said he would resign “in an instant” if there were any truth to the whispers.
His wife wrote: “In these weeks I have watched in silence, without reacting through the media, as my person, my dignity and my marital history has been brutally besmirched”.
“What is certain is that there has been nothing near the truth (said) about my relationship.”
She gave no details, but there have been published reports suggesting marital infidelities on her part. In the meantime, paparazzi have besieged her, recently following her on a trip to a beach with her children.
The scandal failed to weaken Mr Berlusconi’s grip on power following the European parliamentary elections, even though his party received fewer votes than he had predicted.
But he is still under judicial investigation for using a government plane to fly friends, entertainers and starlets for parties at his holiday villa in Sardinia.
