Ex-boyfriend of 18-year-old woman at centre of Berlusconi scandal apologises

The ex-boyfriend of an 18-year-old woman at the heart of an alleged scandal involving Silvio Berlusconi has apologised for having fuelled speculation about a presumed relationship between her and Italy's prime minister. The Italian daily Corriere della Sera today ran what it said was a letter from Gino Flaminio, in which he said there never could have been a sexual relationship between Noemi Letizia and Berlusconi – "knowing Noemi and her values". Last week, the left-leaning daily La Repubblica quoted Flaminio as saying the 72-year-old had invited Letizia and several other young women to his Sardinian villa for a week over the new year. Flaminio described what he said were phone calls between Berlusconi and Letizia that he listened in on. That interview fuelled speculation about a possible relationship between the two, particularly after Berlusconi's wife cited her husband's presence at Letizia's 18th birthday party in announcing a few weeks ago that she was divorcing him.

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