Italian TV actress with “SB” tattoo takes centre stage in Berlusconi row

October 15th, 2009 ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has backed old chum and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be the next President of the European Union. In an open letter to Il Foglio, the newspaper part-owned by his estranged wife Veronica, which is mounting a campaign in support of Blair, Berlusconi said: "Tony Blair has everything it takes to become the first President of the European Council." The daily's front-paged article further goes on to say: "My government and I will work to ensure we do not lose a great political legacy, made with courage, equilibrium and prudence without uncertainty." The friendship between the two men goes back to the start of the Iraq war, which Berlusconi staunchly supported.

August 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi's estranged wife Veronica Lario has finally broken her silence over divorce from the Italian PM. The 53-year-old former actress is quoted in a new book, Tendenza Veronica.

July 30th, 2009 LONDON - Patrizia D'Addario, the escort girl who claims to have slept with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is to appear at a themed party entitled 'I Love Silvio' in her honour at a Paris nightclub. The 42-year-old is embarking on the publicity campaign tomorrow, reports The Times.

July 24th, 2009 LONDON - The editor of a leading Italian newspaper dubbed subversive by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has defended its series of exposures about alleged sex scandals involving the Italian leader, saying it had become a political issue. You can imagine in your country, what would happened if [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown met some escorts in his house and one of those escorts used a tape recorder and took pictures, Ezio Mauro, Editor of La Repubblica, told The Times in an interview published Friday.

July 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi has been issued with a writ following his attacks on the newspaper group, which published a series of audiotapes made by a prostitute of her alleged meetings with the Italian Prime Minister at his residence. The business tycoon's personal life came under the limelight when the publishers of La Repubblica announced that it was suing him for attacking it as "subversive", reports The Times.

July 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi spurns a condom - at least that's what new tapes of a hooker's alleged dealings with the Italian PM which hit the internet suggest. The Sun reports, in one of the tapes, Patrizia D'Addario, 42, recoils as a business tycoon linked to Berlusconi's parties tells her: "He will give you a present.

July 17th, 2009 LONDON - An ex Italian MEP has hit out at Silvio Berlusconi, claiming that he was prevented from standing again for the Italian PM's party in the European election last month because he did not fit in with the party's "revolution" of selecting attractive young women. In 2004, Marcello Vernola, 48, was elected to the European Parliament for Forza Italia, now part of the centre-right People of Liberty (Pdl) party.

July 12th, 2009 LONDON - While Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was busy attending world leaders at the G8 summit in his country, a new chapter unfolded in the sex scandal haunting him for months. A magazine has alleged that the PM had spent a weekend in a luxurious Umbrian health spa with an entourage of women, including an actress and a former showgirl who have worked for his television stations.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - Back in November last year, when Barack Obama was making history as US president, Italian premiere Silvio Berlusconi was enjoying a candlelit dinner party with three beautiful women at Palazzo Grazioli, his luxurious residence in Rome, reveals one of the guests. Patrizia D'Addario, 42, a former actress and escort girl said that the 72-year-old then asked her to stay for the night.

June 4th, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister at the centre of a media storm since his wife Veronica Lario publicly questioned the nature of his relationship with an 18-year-old aspiring model, has dismissed any talk of resignation. "Giving up has never crossed my mind.

May 6th, 2009 NEW YORK - Rumours are abuzz that the 18-year-old girl at the center of the storm surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is his daughter. As per sources, Noemi Letizia calls the Italian leader 'Papi' or 'Daddy', reports the New York Post.

May 6th, 2009 LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that he is upset because his 'finished or about to finish' marriage is being made public. Berlusconi's estranged wife Veronica Lario, 52, has confirmed that she is ending her 19-year marriage because she's tired of his womanising ways.

April 28th, 2009 NEW YORK - The mother of octuplets Nadya Suleman has got herself a new tattoo resembling that of actress Angelina Jolie. The history-making mum, who gave birth to eight babies in January, adding to her previous lot of six, already has seven tattoos, a passion that she "shares" with the Hollywood star.

April 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has brought some pretty girls with a background in showbusiness into his Cabinet to brighten up politics. Berlusconi has chosen Angela Sozio, 36, a flame-haired former contestant of Grande Fratello, the Italian version of Big Brother, to be the new face for the European Parliament elections in June, reports The Times.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - America's leading Hindu scholars are urging top tattoo artists to read up on their Sanskrit after noticing inked text on singer Rihanna and soccer player David Beckham's skin is misspelled. According to the experts, Beckham's tattoo tribute to his wife Victoria is incorrect, as is one of Rihanna's new spiritual etchings, reports contactmusic.com.