Meet the 'Ruby Heartbreaker' of the Silvio Berlusconi Sex Scandal

An Italian sex scandal that spawned nationwide demonstrations over the premier's alleged abuse of power and paying an underage girl for sex began at a dinner party in Milan with a Moroccan-born dancer nicknamed "Ruby Heartbreaker."

The dancer, Karima El Mahrough, was 17 years old at the time of the alleged sexual encounter with Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, according to prosecutors in Milan.

The leggy performer, who has since appeared in scantily clad photographs across the country, told the Italian news channel Sky TG24 that she had lied about her age before meeting Berlusconi for a dinner party at his private residence near Milan.

"He knew that I was 24 years old because I told everyone that I was 24 years old," she said. "I didn't want people to know that I was a minor."

It was during that first encounter on Valentine's Day in 2010 that El Mahrough said she received 7,000 euros (about $9,300) after a friend informed Berlusconi that she needed help.