Galliano Issues His Apology

One day after being fired by French fashion house Christian Dior for the drunken, anti-Semitic remarks he made that were captured on film, designer John Galliano has issued a formal apology -- though he says he was provoked.

Before saying he takes "responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself," Galliano says he was responding to a violent attack: "A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the Police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing. For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me."

Read the full statement here.

Galliano issued the statement amid reports he's checking into rehab. Reports The New York Times: "He was persuaded to accept treatment for his alcohol problems by close colleagues and friends like the supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, the sources said. While the treatment center is not known, it is likely that his destination is The Meadows, a facility in Wickenberg, Arizona, where Elton John and Donatella Versace were treated in recent years."

Yesterday, after numerous celebrities and designers distanced themselves from Galliano, Sex & the City costumer Patricia Field stepped up to his defense, telling Women's Wear Daily she thought Galliano's actions were a "farce" and that the designer was "acting out a character."