Berlusconi: Merkel Isn’t a ‘Lard-arse’

In an interview with the BBC’s celebrated Rottweiler Jeremy Paxman, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denied calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel an “unf**kable lard-arse.” “In 20 years of politics, I have never insulted anyone and this accusation was made up by someone who wanted to turn Angela against me,” Berlusconi responded, when Paxman, who is leaving the BBC after 25 years at the end of the month, put the (bleeped-out) phrase to him. He did admit, however, that he did jump out at her from behind a pillar in 2008 and yell “cuckoo” and claimed she found it funny. He also said he copied the joke from Vladimir Putin.