After years of speculation Dontella Versace has confirmed, for the first time, that her 20-year-old daughter Allegra, is receiving treatment for anorexia. "My daughter is very ill. Anorexia is consuming her and we are very worried. However, the doctors are doing all they can to snatch her away from this cruel disease and we have faith in them," she said. Dontella also revealed that Allegra has been suffering from the disease for some years and that the cures have only been temporary. "For some time the situation has become worse and that is why we decided to place her in a designated specialised clinic," she added. The Versace family has asked the media for privacy during this difficult time with Donatella hoping her words will end internet gossip concerning the health of her daughter. Sadly, Donatella is not the only celebrity mother currently dealing with this problem...
Olivia Newton John has confessed that her daughter Chloe Lattanzi is also battling anorexia. "I've gone through an eating disorder. I don't hide that. It's nothing I'm ashamed of," Lattanzi recently admitted. Beginning around the time her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Lattanzi's eating disorder spiralled in July 2005 when her mother's long-term boyfriend Patrick McDermott went missing during a fishing trip.
Upon discovering her daughter's illness, Newton John hired a daily therapist and nutrionist to help confront the problem. "Did I notice? Yes. I was obviously very concerned and worried. Eating disorders are usually nothing to do with food. Parents need to be with their child to see them through it. All the therapists in the world can't help if the parents aren't present, loving and pro-active," she said. Words of wisdom from some-one who has certainly had more than her fair share of life's knocks.
Will publicising their daughter's conditions help push worldwide calls to ban size O models? If there is one positive thing to come from all of this, then we certainly hope so.