AUR 1920 x 116
AUR 1920 x 116
AUR 1920 x 116
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Berlusconi to undergo heart surgery

Doctor says former Italian prime minister "risked dying."

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi is to undergo heart surgery next week for a malfunctioning aortic valve that could have killed him, according to his doctor.

The 79-year-old billionaire insisted on casting his vote in Rome's local elections before presenting himself at the hospital in Milan on 5 June.

However Berlusconi's Forza Italia candidate for mayor of Rome, Alfio Marchini, polled so poorly that he failed to make it to the second-round ballot on 19 June.

Smiling H2 - 724x450
Ambrit 1920 x 190
Ambrit 1920 x 190
Ambrit 1920 x 190
Acorn P H3 - 320 x 480
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia