Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was released from the hospital Monday, eight days after being admitted for what his doctor said at the time were routine, scheduled checks.

The 85-year-old waved to photographers as he left the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, where he was admitted on January 23.

The leader of the Forza Italia party has been in and out of the hospital in recent months after being hospitalized for Covid-related pneumonia in September 2020. 

The day before his most recent admission, Berlusconi withdrew his bid to become Italy's next president, for which he had been campaigning behind the scenes. 

His bid had been seen as a long shot, not least because of his ongoing legal troubles over his "Bunga Bunga" sex parties.

Berlusconi, who served as prime minister three times between 1994 and 2011, said he was pulling out through a sense of "national responsibility", but media reports said his family was concerned about his health.

On Saturday, Italy's outgoing president, Sergio Mattarella, was re-elected after political parties failed to agree on another viable candidate during eight rounds of voting over six days.