HEALTH UPDATE
Ex-Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, 86, diagnosed with leukaemia after intensive care treatment in cardiac unit
FORMER Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with blood cancer after a hospital dash.
The billionaire media mogul, 86, who has been in and out of the hospital in recent years, is currently in Milan's San Raffaele Hospital.
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Italian media reports he was hospitalised with pneumonia after a diagnosis of leukaemia.
He was admitted into hospital with heart problems and shortness of breath.
It is reported his condition is serious but stable.
Leukaemia is an aggressive and fast-acting cancer of the white blood cells.
He is undergoing intensive therapy to fight the disease, reports .
The former Prime Minister is the leader of the Forza Italia party which makes up part of the Italy's ruling coalition.
Berlusconi - who is worth an estimated $7billion - however currently does not have a role in government.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: "Sincere and affectionate wishes for a speedy recovery to Silvio Berlusconi.
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"Forza Silvio."
He served as Prime Minister of Italy on three occasions, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011.
Berlusconi reportedly spent four days at the same hospital last week for treatment, according to
The politician shared a tweet thanking people for their concern alongside a snap of him smiling at home.
Berlusconi wrote: "I have already returned to work on the main themes of these days, ready and determined to commit myself, as I always have, to the country I love."
The billionaire's latest hospital dash comes after a series of health scares in recent years.
Berlusconi was hospitalised for Covid-related pneumonia in September 2020, but later recovered.
However, the following year he was admitted several times for complications stemming from the deadly virus.
Berlusconi was forced to undergo open heart surgery in 2016 and surgery on his intestine three years later.
The four-time prime minister, who is fitted with a pacemaker, has also overcome prostate cancer.
But his time in office hasn't been without controversy, as the party-loving former leader is well known for his sex scandals and eyebrow-raising jokes.
Berlusconi - who is in a relationship with Forza Italia MP Marta Fascina, 33 - allegedly held lavish "Bunga Bunga" bashes at his villa.
He was accused, but later acquitted, of paying young women for "silence and lies" surrounding the infamous gatherings, which he always insisted were simply elegant dinners.
But guests claimed they were in fact wild sex parties with "orgies", where women stripped and performed "raunchy pole dances".
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The ex-PM, who previously described himself as the "Jesus Christ of politics", also landed himself in hot water in 2010.
It was alleged that the lothario had abused his position of power to protect a young Moroccan nightclub dancer who was arrested.
Police detained Karima El-Mahroug, known by her stage name 'Ruby the Heart Stealer', for theft - but she was released after Berlusconi claimed she was the niece of then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
He was charged with paying her for sex when she was just 17 and was found guilty, until he was acquitted in 2014.
An appeals court ruled there was no proof he knew El-Mahroug was a minor.
Berlusconi was also temporarily banned from politics after a conviction of tax fraud in 2013.
He served a community sentence and muscled his way back into the spotlight before being re-elected as a senator in 2022.
Berlusconi proved old habits died hard last year after promising his Monza players a "bus full of prostitutes" if they beat AC Milan or Juventus.
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The 86-year-old, who owned AC Milan between 1986 and 2017, bought the team in 2018.
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