Silvio Berlusconi engaged to much younger girlfriend

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, 76, has announced his engagement to Francesca Pascale, his 27-year-old girlfriend.

Berlusconi made the announcement during an interview on the Italian TV program Domenica Live, reports The Telegraph.

Berlusconi, who is also a billionaire, has a small problem to deal with before he can wed Pascale, however. He is still married to his second wife, actress Veronica Lario, and The Telegraph reports that the pair has yet to reach an agreement in its divorce proceedings. Berlusconi already has five children from his two previous marriages.

In other legal troubles, Berlusconi is currently on trial, defending himself against allegations that he paid for sex with an underage 17-year-old prostitute during one of his lavish "Bunga Bunga" parties at his residences. On Monday, a judge announced that the final hearing in that case would be February 4, meaning a verdict could come before the end of February.

Berlusconi says that he wants to run for a fifth term as prime minister, but he would be barred from doing so if he is found guilty.

He is eager to wed his new fiancée, Berlusconi told the television network.

"Finally I feel less lonely," Berlusconi said. "I am engaged to a Neapolitan, it’s official.

"She is 27 years old, with very solid values, beautiful on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside."

A report in the Daily Mail says Pascale is a former shop assistant and that she was a member of Berlusconi’s political party before she stepped down over the summer.