Italian actress hailed as heroine for rejecting Berlusconi’s invitation for sex

Arcuri refused an alleged invitation to sleep with Berlusconi in exchange for a chance to host a prestigious music fest.

London: An Italian actress, who refused an alleged invitation to sleep with Silvio Berlusconi in exchange for a chance to host the country’s most prestigious music festival, has been hailed as a heroine by the people of the country.

Manuela Arcuri was allegedly promised the chance to host the annual San Remo musical festival in exchange for sleeping with the Italian Prime Minister, but she refused the offer, the Telegraph reported. Arcuri was praised for standing up to the prime minister’s alleged offer, with tongue-in-cheek demands for her to be declared a saint or to replace Berlusconi as premier. Her repeated refusals of the proposal emerged from telephone conversations that were recorded as part of an investigation into allegations that more than 30 models and starlets were recruited to attend Berlusconi’s private parties. The actress was compared to Rosy Bindi, a bespectacled Left-wing MP who after being insulted by Berlusconi two years ago told him “I’m not a woman at your disposal” – a remark that became a rallying cry for Italian women fed up with the prime minister’s sexist quips. “It’s proof that in Italy there are still women with a sense of decency,” a blogger wrote. ANI