Out of sight Berlusconi gets new look

Italy’s ‘nip and tuck’ premier Silvio Berlusconi pulled out of yet another meeting today with a “slight illness” amid reports that he had extensive plastic surgery last month.

The news magazine L’Espresso said the surgery involved the premier’s face and neck.

It said the operation on the image-conscious billionaire took place in a Swiss clinic in December, and was led by a top Californian surgeon.

Berlusconi’s convalescence was complicated by a swelling around one of his eyes, the magazine said.

The premier’s office has declined to comment on the reports.

Last week one of balding Berlusconi’s doctors said the premier had undergone “a little bit of plastic surgery around his eyes.”

Berlusconi, 67, was due to hold a working lunch in Rome today with Maltese President Guido de Marco who is on an official visit to Italy.

The source said that the Italian protocol office, in cancelling the meeting, cited a “slight illness”.

Berlusconi has been out of public view for much of the last month and speculation has mounted over his new look.

His aides have brushed off all speculation that he might be ill, saying the premier has spent time away because there were no official commitments that required his presence in Rome.

The premier’s last appearance before the Italian public was at a December 20 news conference.

He has spent much of the last month at his villa in the exclusive Sardinian resort of Porto Rotondo.

This weekend, he is scheduled to appear at a rally in Rome to mark the 10th anniversary since he has stepped into politics.