Mussolini's granddaughter crowned winner of Celebrity Big Brother Italy as she bags six-figure prize fund

Alessandra Mussolini, the 63-year-old granddaughter of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, claimed victory on Grande Fratello VIP on Tuesday evening.

After seeing off the competition and emerging victorious in the renowned social experiment, Ms Mussolini took home a €100,000 prize.

The former actress, singer, and European Parliament member triumphed in the Italian equivalent of Celebrity Big Brother, marking another chapter in a career frequently shaped by her notorious family name.The

Italian press characterised her performance on the programme as "bossy, over the top, irresistible and strong-willed."

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Following her win, Ms Mussolini declared: "I enjoyed everything to the fullest, just as I am... I regret nothing."

The show, which began airing in March, saw her outlast fellow celebrity contestants to secure the title.

Ms Mussolini is the daughter of Romano Mussolini, a jazz pianist who was Benito's fourth son, and Maria Scicolone, the sister of film star Sophia Loren.

Her grandfather governed Italy for more than 20 years, excluding Jewish citizens from public life and forming an alliance with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, before partisans executed him in 1945.

   View this post on Instagram            

A post shared by Grande Fratello (@grandefratellotv)

During the programme, Ms Mussolini shared a painful childhood memory of being held underwater in a swimming pool by other children because of her surname.

Throughout her life, she has defended her family legacy, once demanding a journalist show respect for her relatives.

She also publicly attacked actor Jim Carrey for posting an illustration depicting her grandfather's corpse.

Her career has spanned numerous fields, from appearing in dozens of Italian films between 1972 and 1990 to posing for Playboy and achieving pop stardom in Japan with her 1982 album Amore.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Katie Price delivers fresh update on 'missing husband' Lee Andrews amid online activity mystery
• A-list actor slammed for 'out of touch' Donald Trump attack amid president's family cancer bombshell
• 'Anti-British' UK Eurovision singer vows to quit music after being left 'miserable' by industry

One of her film roles was set during Hitler's 1938 visit to Italy.

Before her Big Brother triumph, she finished third on Italy's version of Strictly Come Dancing.

Ms Mussolini entered politics in 1992, standing for parliament with the neo-fascist Social Movement party, the same organisation that launched current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's political career.

She later joined Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia in 2008 and currently belongs to the right-wing populist Lega party.

   View this post on Instagram            

A post shared by Grande Fratello (@grandefratellotv)

Ms Mussolini has previously declared herself "fascist and proud of it" and once praised her grandfather, stating: "With my grandfather, at least there was a stand, a sense of responsibility, common sense and a love for Italy which is no more."

She has also signed photographs of the former dictator for admirers.

However, her political stance has moderated in recent years, with the 63-year-old now supporting gay rights.

Her victory has prompted political commentators to warn that the stigma surrounding Benito Mussolini has diminished in Italy, with the dictator increasingly becoming part of popular culture rather than a figure of historical condemnation.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter