John Galliano checks into rehab

John Galliano has checked into rehab.

The designer - who was sacked from fashion house Christian Dior earlier this week after making anti-Semitic remarks in a drunken rant in Paris - has reportedly flown out of France to seek help for his alcohol problems after being urged to do so by friends including Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

According to the New York Times newspaper, Galliano's chosen treatment facility has not been named but it is believed to be The Meadows, an Arizona clinic which has previously treated Sir Elton John and Donatella Versace.

Meanwhile, Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld has said he is "furious" about Galliano's antics, in particular the way his actions has upset LVMH CEO Bernarn Arnault, who brought the designer to Givenvchy in 1995, before later moving him to Christian Dior. Karl told WWD: "I'm furious that it could happen. Because the question is no longer even whether he really said it. The image has gone around the world. It's a horrible image for fashion, because they think that every designer and everything in fashion is like this. This is what makes me crazy in that story.

"The thing is, we are a business world where, especially today, with the internet, one has to be more careful than ever, especially if you are a publicly known person. You cannot go in the street and be drunk - there are things you cannot do. I'm furious with him because of the harm he did to LVMH and Bernard Arnault, who is a friend, and who supported him more than he supported any other designer in his group, because Dior is his favourite label. It's as if he had his child hurt."