83-year-old Prime Minister Berlusconi breaks up with 34-year-old lover... "Meeting with 30-year-old lawmaker"

Former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Silvio Berlusconi (83), former Prime Minister of Italy, has broken up with his girlfriend Francesca Pascale (34), who is 49 years his junior.

According to the British daily The Guardian on the 5th (local time), Berlusconi ended his 12-year relationship with Pascale.

The exact reason for the breakup has not been disclosed, but multiple media outlets have speculated that Berlusconi is currently seeing Marta Fascina (30), a member of the Forza Italia party. The two were even spotted leaving a hotel in Switzerland together.

Berlusconi, who served as Prime Minister three times since 1994, is a politician often at the center of controversy due to his sexually harassing remarks.

During his tenure in 2010, it was revealed that he invited models to his villa and held sex parties, causing shock. The trial related to this incident is still ongoing.

He was also heavily criticized for allegedly paying a minor dancer from Morocco for sexual relations.

In January this year, during a campaign rally supporting Zole Santelli, a member of the Chamber of Deputies running for governor of Calabria under Forza Italia (FI), he caused controversy by stating, "I have known this woman for 26 years, but I have never had sexual relations with her."