Rome  - The estranged wife of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said she decided to seek a divorce after discovering her husband had lied to her for the "umpteenth" time, according to a book which went on sale Wednesday in Italy .

Tendenza Veronica or the Veronica Trend, is an updated biography of Veronical Lario, Berlusconi's wife of 19 years, and is based on interviews with her conducted by the author and journalist Maria Latella.

The 53-year-old Lario, the mother of three of Berlusconi's children - the premier also has two from a previous marriage - in the book recounts the anger and pain she felt when in late April a newspaper revealed her husband had attended the 18th birthday party of a lingerie model.

The evening before his departure for Naples, where he attended Noemi Letizia's party, Berlusconi told Lario he needed to visit the southern city for an "important meeting," according to an excerpt from the book.

"It was the umpteenth lie. So it was better to seek the last vestige of respect for myself, it was better to divorce," Lario was quoted as saying by Latella in the excerpt published by Milan-daily Corriere della Sera.

"I don't know from where I got this conviction, this strength. Anyway it is him (Berlusconi) who put me in this position," Lario said describing her state of mind ahead of the May 4 divorce announcement which was made by her lawyer.

At the time Lario accused Berlusconi of "cosorting with minors" and expressed her sorrow that her husband had, she said, never turned up at the 18th birthdays of their three children.

Berlusconi who has denied any sexual relationship with Letizia, said his wife had been duped by the opposition leftist media into believing the allegations of infidelity.

Since then Berlusconi has been embroiled in another scandal after a self-confessed prostitute Patrizia D'Addario alleged she had been paid to attend parties at the premier's residence in Rome and that she had spent a night with him.

Audio tapes purportedly recording conversations between Berlusconi and D'Addario at the Palazzo Grazioli residence, have been posted on newspaper internet sites.

They have also been examined by magistrates conducting an abetting of prostitution probe involving a businessman form the southern city of Bari who allegedly paid women to attend Berlusconi's parties.

Berlusconi has said he is "no saint," but has denied ever paying for sex.

Latella in the article written for the Corriere della Sera containing excerpts from her book, claimed that members of Berlusconi's intimate circle advised the couple to separate and for Lario to "return to her husband's side" to support him while he sought help at a clinic to cure sex addiction.

"This scenario hasn't been completely ruled out, and much will depend on how much the media (especially overseas) continue to be fascinated by Berlusconi's private life," Latella wrote. (dpa)