Rome ( CNN ) -- Italy 's flamboyant former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi plans to marry a former television showgirl-turned-politician a half century younger , he told an Italian talk show this week . Francesca Pascale , 27 , is `` a girl who is beautiful on the outside , but even more beautiful on the inside , '' the 76-year-old Berlusconi said . The billionaire , who resigned as prime minister just over a year ago at the height of his country 's debt crisis , told an interviewer earlier this month that he will run again to be Italy 's leader . The bride-to-be is from Naples , Italy , where she appeared as a showgirl on a local television station . She later became an activist and was elected to be a local council official representing Berlusconi 's People of Liberty Party . Italians on the street -- or at the market -- revealed mixed feelings about Berlusconi 's latest news . `` If it 's fine for him an also for her , it should be fine for everyone , '' said one shopper . A butcher who was asked said he found it hard to believe . `` What can a man of 76 do with a 27-year-old girl ? '' he asked . Opinion : What does Silvio 's return mean for Italy ? Berlusconi , who has been married twice before , is accused of involvement with someone even younger . He faces trial on charges that he hired an underage prostitute for sex and later tried to pull strings to get her out of jail when she was accused of theft . The woman involved in the long-running case is Moroccan dancer Karima el Mahroug , nicknamed `` Ruby the Heart-stealer . '' Berlusconi has been accused of embezzlement , fraud and bribery over his career , but a tax-evasion case marked the first time he had been convicted of an offense . In October , a Milan court sentenced Berlusconi to four years in prison for tax evasion . However , under the Italian legal system , he and his fellow defendants have the right to appeal their sentence twice , in the appeals court and a higher court . Also , because the case dates to July 2006 , the statute of limitations will expire next year , meaning there is a good chance none of the defendants will serve any prison time . Berlusconi , who dominated Italian politics for nearly two decades , did not reveal a wedding date . CNN 's Ben Wedeman in Rome contributed to this report .
Berlusconi 's bride-to-be is 27-year-old Francesca Pascale . `` What can a man of 76 do with a 27-year-old girl ? '' a butcher asks . Italy 's former prime minister faces trial on charges he hired an underage prostitute for sex . Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for nearly two decades until resigning last year .