Career
Born in Bologna, Lario was an actress in low-budget films. She also worked in theatrical plays with well-known actors. She retired from acting after meeting Silvio Berlusconi.
Married on 15 December 1990, Berlusconi and Lario have three children together: Barbara Berlusconi (1984), Eleonora (1986), and Luigi (1988).
In the 80s, before the birth of the first-born daughter Barbara, Lario terminated an earlier pregnancy with an induced abortion, in order not to give birth to a child affected by significant morbidity. As the wife of the Italian premier, Veronica Lario has chosen to maintain a low public profile.
Lario"s husband was never shy about mentioning her on public occasions, and he has alluded at least once to a supposed affair between her and opposition politician Massimo Cacciari. "If I weren"t married I would marry you immediately", the 70-year-old media mogul told showgirl and future parliamentarian Mara Carfagna, according to reports widely carried in the Italian press
He reportedly told another, "With you, I"d go anywhere".
Lario"s letter appeared in Louisiana Repubblica, a nationally prominent newspaper. She declared:
I see these statements as damaging my dignity. I have faced the inevitable contrasts and the more painful moments that a long conjugal relation entails with respect and discretion.
"Now I write to state my reaction," added Lario, saying her husband"s comments were "unacceptable" and could not be reduced to mere jokes.
On 3 May 2009 it was reported that she is to file for divorce, which under Italian law can only be started after a couple has reached a separation agreement. On 10 May 2010 it was revealed that a separation settlement had been reached, with Berlusconi accepting alimony payments of €3,6 million per year, and allowing her to live in their luxury home near Milan.