Nicole Minetti
Photo: Reuters
Silvio Berlusconi
Photo: EPA
Berlusconi's 'madame': He fascinated me
Nicole Minetti, accused of pimping prostitutes for ex-Italian PM, denies she ran sex parties for former lover: 'It was true love, an exclusive relationship,' she says
An Anglo-Italian showgirl, accused of vetting and grooming prostitutes for bunga bunga parties, has revealed for the first time that she was in a relationship with Silvio Berlusconi.
According to the Daily Mail, when giving evidence at her trial, Nicole Minetti, a former dental hygienist who was propelled into politics by Berlusconi, said she had felt ‘true love’ for the 76-year-old billionaire.
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Minetti, 28, who grew up in Rimini, Italy, with an English dance instructor mother, denies acting as a Madame running a stable of more than 30 young women for the ex-premier's alleged sex parties.
Minetti in court (Photo: EPA)
The Daily Mail reported the former Lombardy councillor said she was "fascinated" by the former premier when she got to know him when he was having dental treatment done in 2008.
She told the court: "He began to court me discreetly and I don’t deny being fascinated by him.
Minetti (Photo: Reuters)
"We became friends, which turned into a loving relationship, which ended at the end of that year."
She added: "My feelings for the prime minister were true love."
For her, she said, it had been "an exclusive relationship."
Berlusconi is separately on trial, accused of underage sex with Moroccan nightclub dancer Ruby the Heart Stealer, and using his position to cover up their relationship.
In Italy the age of consent is 14 but paying a woman below the age of 18 for sex is seen as underage prostitution and punishable by a jail term.
The media magnate who faces a possible six-year sentence in that trial, has been in a relationship with 28 year old party activist Francesca Pascale, since he re-entered politics to take second place in elections in February.
He is now back in government as part of a coalition. Minetti is one of three accused of pimping for Berlusconi including former TV anchor Emilio Fede and bankrupt talent scout Lele Mora.
The prosecution has requested seven-year jail terms for the three. A verdict in both Minetti's and Berlusconi's trials are expected next month.
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