Berlusconi's Dr Libido: He boasted his special 'elixir' was the secret to the Italian PM's sexual prowess. True By Tony Rennell The scene from When Harry Met Sally is one of Hollywood's best gags. As Sally (Meg Ryan) finishes her noisy lunchtime re-enactment of fake sexual pleasure, a fellow diner at a nearby table memorably tells the waitress asking for her order: "I'll have what she's having." Men might be tempted to say something similar about Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's most famous Don Giovanni since, well, Don Giovanni. Despite reaching the age of 76, the former prime minister's massive and over-active libido is still getting him into hot water. He is in court in Milan even now on charges of sexual misconduct. Putting aside for a moment the immoral aspect of his actions, the question remains: how does this ageing Lothario manage it? So often? So apparently effortlessly? Defies his age: Silvio Berlusconi, pictured with two unidentified women, is said to have a rampant sex drive What exactly is the super-stud's secret? One man knows. Or, rather, knew. But Dr Umberto Scapagnini, a physician, expert in the science of anti-ageing and personal adviser to the rampant Berlusconi on medical matters, is no more. He died this week in Naples, taking with him to the grave the precise details of whatever elixir kept the septuagenarian Silvio constantly on heat and cavorting with teenage strippers and actresses from one bunga-bunga party to the next. For years Scapagnini was a public cheer-leader for Berlusconi's prowess. "He's a superior man, both physically and intellectually," he said. He never wilts. He was capable of sex at least six times a week. The doctor saw no reason for him to slow down, though he did advise giving it a rest for one day in seven - a new definition, perhaps, of "safe sex." Not that Berlusconi showed any signs of taking such a sabbatical or reining himself in on doctor's orders. Blonde prostitute Patrizia D'Addario described him entertaining 20 women at once at a sex party. On another occasion, she claimed to have been kept fully occupied by him until eight in the morning. "I'd never seen such passion for sex," she said. In the know? Physician Umberto Scapagnini, who passed away recently, was said to be Berlusconi's Dr libido Such a marathon was particularly impressive in a man who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer but "shrugged it off," as Scapagnini put it. That one medical misfortune apart, the doctor saw Berlusconi as a man blessed by his genes with the constitution of an ox and an exceptional propensity to live a long life. Aided, it should be said, by occasional injections in the groin and a 45-minute nap every afternoon. "He has an amazing immune system," cooed the man Berlusconi punningly dubbed "Dr Scopagnini," literally, in Italian, "Dr F***." He also praised the politician's "powers of resistance" - not an obvious attribute of the randy billionaire politician with a roving eye when it comes to women, money and the pursuit of power. All in all, there was no reason why he should not live to 150 or beyond. "He'll outlive us all," said Scapagnini - which, in the 71-year-old doctor's case, was only too true. He's technically almost immortal. Scapagnini once told a magazine he had studied the dietary habits of the residents of Okinawa in Japan - famed for their longevity - to try to pinpoint the key to a long life. For his boss, he apparently came up with a combination of amino acids, vitamins and anti-oxidants - "my elixir has taken 12 years off him," he once said - along with a high protein diet and special regimen of diet and exercise. In court: Berlusconi is currently on charges of sexual misconduct, with Moroccan girl Karima El Mahroug (nicknamed Ruby) one of the alleged girls he slept with at a Bunga Bunga party There was no red meat - strange as that may seem for such a red-blooded male - and no smoking (imagine the cumulative effects of a post-coital ciggie for a man with Berlusconi's track record). The result, according to the doctor, is a superman who rolls back the years. "Berlusconi is 15 years younger than his chronological age," he went on. He is perhaps, of all the patients I've examined, the one who has the capacity to live the longest. If you see him in a bathing suit, he has the musculature and tone of a much younger man. And the same would presumably also go for his birthday suit - which reports would suggest is the great man's more normal recreational attire. Another of Berlusconi's secret strengths, according to his late doctor, is his ability to control stress. He knows how to sleep. His ability to do so anywhere, in cars or planes, is amazing. Anywhere, presumably, except in bed. What Scapagnini does not mention is Berlusconi's incredible conceit. Hence the elevated heels to lift him above his natural 5ft 6in, the all-year tan, the hair transplant, a rumoured tuck beneath his eyes a few years back and a propensity for campaign posters from the days when he had a fuller head of hair. He has described himself as the best political leader in the world. "I am the Jesus Christ of politics," he said. I sacrifice myself for everyone. There is no one on the world stage who can compete with me. Secrets? Berlusconi and his way of life continues to mystify many, including his own supporters And he once claimed: "Women are lining up to marry me. Legend has it that I know how to do it. On another occasion, he offered the self-congratulatory wisecrack: "When asked if they would like to have sex with me, 30 per cent of women said "Yes," while the other 70 per cent replied, "What, again?"" A leading German political commentator recalls seeing Berlusconi beside the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy at a press conference on international matters in front of the world's media. The Italian suddenly turned to the French leader with a lewd grin on his face and whispered something in his ear. Sarkozy looked uncomfortable before collecting his thoughts and carrying on. It turned out that Berlusconi had said something about Sarkozy's wife, the Italian model Carla Bruni. It seems, concluded the commentator, that "from time to time, Berlusconi's groin seems to take over from his brain." That groin may not be quite all it is cracked up to be, however. A few years ago, a wire-tap picked up two women members of his then government in conversation about him. The word "pompetta" or "little pump" was used, triggering scurrilous gossip about how well-endowed he is. He seems to want it both ways when it comes to his sexual prowess - modesty and denial alongside outright bragging. What some allege were orgies with masks, stripteases and erotic dances, he describes as private dinner parties. When first charged with having sex with an under-age prostitute two years ago, he said in his defence: "I'm 74 years old and even though I may be a bit of a rascal, 33 girls in two months seems to me too much for a 30-year-old." The problem is, however, his own doctor's claims for him suggest such a performance is well within his capacity. There are those who have always believed Dr Scapagnini's true role was as much to promote Berusconi's ego as his sex drive. He was a spin doctor as well as a medical one. Nothing seemed to make Silvio more desirable and more electable than his obvious manliness, and Scapagnini was there to provide his image with scientifically proved sexual forza. No wonder Berlusconi had kind words for his doctor this week: "I'll miss him very much, as will many people who had the good fortune to be close to him," he said. Although Dr Scapagnini didn't possess his patient's longevity - despite surviving cancer and a car crash - he shared a political record tarred by brushes with the law. He served as a member of Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party and was twice the mayor of Catania. And it was as first citizen of the Sicilian city that he was convicted over subsidies he arranged shortly before being elected. Indeed, he was battling abuse of office charges when he was struck down late last month, before dying in hospital this week. As for those boastful statements about the doctor's "patient," they may yet come back to haunt the former prime minister in the coming months. In court fighting off charges of sexual misconduct, Berlusconi may find the endorsements of his physical powers a hindrance to his protestations of impotent innocence.