Barbara Berlusconi tells Vanity Fair she is 'astounded' by scandals over her father

The daughter of Silvio Berlusconi has described her astonishment at the 72-year-old Italian Prime Minister’s mysterious relationship with a teenage lingerie model.

In her first interview since the publication of audio tapes allegedly featuring pillow talk between her father and a prostitute, Barbara Berlusconi said that a politician had a moral duty to make his private life public and enhance family values.

Although she did not criticise her father directly, the comments, made to the Italian edition of Vanity Fair, mark a stark contrast with the leader, who has defended his privacy after it emerged that a call girl, hostesses and an under-age model were among the guests at some of his private parties.

When asked about Mr Berlusconi’s relationship with Noemi Letizia, who attended a party at his Sardinia villa when she was 17, Ms Berlusconi said: “I was astounded. I never frequented elderly men.”