ALLEGRA Beck Versace, 20, heiress to the fashion house that bears her name, is suffering from anorexia, the eating disorder which many people blame on the visual diktats of the beauty industry.
"Our daughter Allegra has been battling anorexia, a very serious disease, for many years," Donatella Versace said in a joint statement released with Allegra's father, Paul Beck, in an attempt to stem rumours about their daughter's health.
Ms Beck
Versace inherited 50 per cent of the empire on her 18th birthday from her uncle Gianni. The fashion pioneer who famously dressed Diana, Princess of Wales, and made Elizabeth Hurley's safety-pin outfit, which became known as "that dress", was killed in 1997.
The girl Versace called his "little princess" was only 11 when he was shot dead outside his Miami Beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
"She is receiving the best medical care possible to help overcome this illness and is responding well," said the statement by Donatella Versace, who owns 20 per cent of the firm and took over as chief designer after her brother's death.
Versace's public relations office said the family was launching legal action against media that quoted Donatella as saying her daughter had been admitted to hospital and that anorexia was "consuming" her.
No such comments were ever made, the Versace company said in a statement.
"Allegra is not at present staying in any hospital, she is living in her private residence and her condition does not cause particular concerns," it said. Ms Beck Versace is a student at Brown University, in Rhode Island in the United States.
"As parents, we are doing our best to protect our daughter. However, due to numerous media reports, we want to let everyone know that we appreciate their concern for Allegra, and we ask that her privacy be respected at this time," they said.
The fashion industry has been defending itself against fierce criticism over recent months that its preference for very slim models leads women to eating disorders.
Last year a Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, died of heart failure during a fashion show and Brazilian Ana Carolina Reston died of complications brought on by anorexia.
