Sexy Italian showgirl and influencer Valeria Marini, 55, has revealed how she very nearly became a nun to escape her life’s woes.

Marini – born in the Italian capital Rome and raised in Cagliari on Sardinia – said she nearly entered a convent when she was younger and even spoke to her mother and a priest about it.

But Marini – who boasts 1.2 million Instagram followers – realised the decision might not solve her problems and changed her mind.

The yummy mummy told local media: “I said to myself, I’m now going to take my vows and close myself off in the convent.

“I talked about it with my mother and priest, but then realised that this choice would not be an escape from difficulties, it would not be right.”

Despite passing on the chance to become a nun, Marini still remains a devout Catholic.

She is also a huge admirer of Pope Francis, who she refers to as a “saint”, and would love to meet him one day.

The stunning showgirl added: “The right choice is to pray, to help others, and to be a practising Catholic.”

She added: “Every evening I say Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory be to the Father, but a prayer that comes from the heart at the moment is also fine.

“The Pope is a saint. I would love to know him.”

Marini also seems to like more earthly delights with her rumoured boyfriend Eddy Siniscalchi, 20 years her junior.

She likes to boast that she “makes love morning to night.”