Updated Tuesday April 12 08:56am:
John Galliano was photographed at LAX Airport yesterday after just over a month in rehab. The designer was asked: "Would you have done anything differently if you were on the Christian Dior board?" by one reporter, before being called a racist by another. The former Dior helmer made no comment as he walked towards the check-in desk in dark glasses and a hat.
Updated Friday March 11 8:56am:
The man at the centre of the trial against John Galliano has spoken out in the designer's defence.
"For me it was a simple bar dispute," Philipe Virgitti - who along with his girlfriend Geraldine Bloch accused Galliano of using racist insults towards them - said. "We were having a beer when he sat beside us. He got aggressive, turned to my friend and said 'Your voice is annoying me, you're speaking too loudly'."
Asked if he had used anti-Semitic language, Virgitti answered, "Yes, although I'm not convinced now that he really meant them. I don't think he is racist or anti-Semitic. I just think he's very ill."
"John Galliano does not deserve this," Virgitti added, the Times reports. "I would like Mr Galliano to benefit from this unhappy story by drinking a little less and getting back to making the dresses and shows that he did so well."
Updated Thursday March 10 11.13am:
Galliano's lawyer, Stephane Zerbib, says he has "no explanation" for his client's recent behaviour, putting it down to a mix of alcohol and medication.
"It could happen to any one of us. Anyone can go to a bar, drink a little and get into a fight with someone," he explains. "You're very vulnerable when you're in this state. People who don't know the case can afford to say things and they all have opinions. It's easy to talk, criticise, be appalled. But these people don't know what really happened”
