Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has denied accusations of a sex affair with a minor and said he has had "a stable relationship" with a woman since he broke up with his wife, the Guardian reported.

"This person has obviously been with me rather often, including - and I underline this - on those evenings and certainly would not have allowed, at dinner or after dinner, those absurd goings-on that certain newspapers have hypothesized," the Guardian quoted him as saying.

A probe has been launched against Berlusconi on suspicion that he paid a Moroccan-born nightclub dancer, known as Ruby, for sex with her at a time when she was 17, which is illegal in Italy.

Berlusconi, who refused to name the woman he said he has been dating since the breakdown of his marriage, said in a video address to his supporters Sunday that the very thought he could ever pay for having sex sounded "absurd" to him.
sections: Celebrities