Francesca Pascale: after the separation with Paola Turci, a new chapter (and a candidacy?)

“Some loves end, take huge turns and then come back.” Who knows if for Francesca Pascale, who recently dissolved the civil union with Paola Turci, the fate will be the one sung by Antonello Venditti in the famous Never friends. One thing is certain, and the former Forza Italia MP reiterates it in the interview given to Corriere della Sera: a love from the past has always been there for her and it does not concern Turci. Even today the most important person in her life, together with her mother and sisters, is Silvio Berlusconi.

Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister who passed away in June 2023, is still a living presence in her heart: much more than an ex-boyfriend, he is “my root, which I don’t want to uproot. And no one can ask me to do that. He was a confidant, a friend and also a lover. I was very jealous of him”, she tells Courier.

The Neapolitan activist reveals himself for the first time after the separation from the Roman singer. After five years of relationship and two of marriage (civil union in July 2022), Pascale and Turci they decided to part ways: «It’s an end, I’m going through a lot of pain but life has taught me that before loving someone you have to know how to love yourself. An end, therefore, can become an act of love towards yourself and that’s why I decided to walk away».

It seems, in fact, that it was Francesca who began the path to separation in the awareness, even if painful, that love, even the greatest, can change and even run out. Today, with lucidity, is going through the failure of this experience: “I believe a lot in love. When a long-term project ends prematurely, for me it’s a failure.”

The gossip about alleged jealousy fights, in fact, are just rumors. Rumors that, after all, have always followed Francesca Pascale since her entry into politics with Forza Italia and then exacerbated by 15-year relationship with Silvio Berlusconi: Pascale recalls that even today many do not understand the relationship between her, then very young, and the former prime minister and successful entrepreneur, from whom she was separated by decades.

“I had to get used to the fact that some people do not understand or accept what I felt and experienced with Berlusconi. But I… I owe a lot to that man, even the life I can lead now, as a privileged person.” Pascale once again, through the interview, reaffirms their deep bond: she talks about her jealousy towards the Cavaliere, a jealousy that pushed her to look at his cell phone, about the children she never had (“I’m not convinced I want to experience motherhood”), about the political figures she met, about the end of her relationship with him and about having always remained friends. About Marta Fascina, however, he says: «I won’t say anything about her».

The activist also explains the move away from Forza Italia, Today it is no longer the party it once was, with the people it liked, like Barbara Masini, Stefania Prestigiacomo and Elio Vito. His dream? That Marina or Pier Silvio take the reins of the party: «They are magnificent people. I share with them everything they have said about civil rights in recent days, issues that not only unite us but that Forza Italia has somewhat abandoned, crushed by the extremism of Fratelli d’Italia and Lega». So, to the direct question: would you start doing politics again? Pascale answers: «I would also start putting up posters on the streets againif Forza Italia were to return to being the liberal and rights-conscious party that I knew with Berlusconi.”

Francesca Pascale also gives her opinion on other politicians: on Giorgia Meloni («she is a strong, intelligent, coherent woman, but she is too conservative to be the leader of a European country», on Elly Schlein («she is a good politician but I am not left-wing. It is nice that she was at the Pride, but I would like the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, not to be only left-wing issues»), on Matthew Salvini (“He, La Russa and Gasparri are not people I respect”).

Today he gets offended if someone compares Berlusconi to Trump, for her, two people at opposite poles. The tycoon is as illiberal as Silvio is liberal who was with an openly bisexual girl who smoked weed every now and then. When I told him about my bisexuality he replied: “After all, I’m a lesbian too.”