The granddaughter of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini has secured a six-figure payout after winning Italy’s version of Celebrity Big Brother.
Alessandra Mussolini, 63, beat out 15 other contestants to claim the $116,000 grand prize during Tuesday night’s finale of Grande Fratello VIP.
“I enjoyed every moment to the fullest and stayed true to myself. I have no regrets,” Alessandra — a former member of the European Parliament — said while reflecting on her victory, according to the Times of London.
Alessandra Mussolini, 63, walked away with more than $100,000 after winning Italy’s version of Celebrity Big Brother, according to broadcaster Mediaset Infinity.
Alessandra is the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini and the daughter of his youngest child, Romano Mussolini.
The former model-turned-politician won over viewers despite her family’s controversial fascist legacy, with Italian media describing her as “bossy, irresistible and strong-willed.”
She said she joined the reality competition even after friends and family advised against it.
“Everyone told me not to do Big Brother,” she said. “But every time people tell me, ‘Don’t do it,’ I immediately think: ‘Now I’m definitely doing it.’”
Speaking to Leggo, Alessandra described the experience as “incredibly rewarding.”
“All of a sudden, you’re without your cell phone, and you finally have time to reflect and connect deeply with other people,” she said. “It helps you rediscover truths about yourself that often never emerge, even within your own family.”
She added that her success came from simply being herself “beyond labels and prejudice.”
“People had never seen me this way before. Inside the house, they got to see my everyday life,” she said. “You live suspended in a bubble, often without even knowing what’s being shown on air.”
Benito Mussolini was famously photographed alongside Adolf Hitler while observing a Nazi military parade during the alliance between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
Alessandra Mussolini — who has been affiliated with multiple political parties across Italy’s political spectrum throughout her career — has frequently found herself at the center of controversy.
In 2003, she resigned from the National Alliance after party leader Gianfranco Fini publicly apologized for Italy’s role in World War II and described fascism as “absolute evil.”
Fini also condemned Mussolini’s anti-Jewish laws as “disgraceful” and called the Fascist-backed state led between 1939 and 1945 “shameful.”
Explaining her resignation at the time, Alessandra said there were “incompatibilities not so much with my politics as with the surname I carry.”
She sparked further outrage in 2006 during a clash with Vladimir Luxuria, who accused her of being a fascist while campaigning for parliament. Luxuria became the first transgender person elected to Italy’s parliament and served from 2006 to 2008.
During the exchange, Alessandra responded with a widely condemned homophobic slur, saying in Italian: “It is better to be a fascist than a f—-t.”
While serving in the European Parliament, Alessandra was part of the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty group, but sparked backlash after referring to Romanians living in Italy as “criminals.”
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Romanian members of the faction, with five politicians reportedly threatening to leave the group unless she was removed.
In 2019, Alessandra made headlines again after calling Jim Carrey a “bastard” over a political drawing depicting the 1945 public execution of her grandfather, Benito Mussolini, and his mistress Clara Petacci.
“If you’re wondering what fascism leads to, just ask Benito Mussolini and his mistress Claretta,” the Dumb and Dumber actor wrote in a since-deleted post on X.
Alessandra responded by sharing images tied to controversial moments in American history that she suggested Carrey should focus on instead. The posts reportedly included references to Rosa Parks, Native American leaders standing before Mount Rushmore, and the mushroom cloud from the atomic bombings during World War II.
