Dior drops Sharon Stone after quake comments

Sharon Stone used to be a great ad for fewer wrinkles, but the 50-year-old's outburst linking the Sichuan earthquake to bad karma because of China's policy on Tibet means Christian Dior posters are coming down all over the Chinese capital.


The French fashion house has issued an apology for Stone's comments and pulled her from its Chinese ad campaign for anti-ageing products. And in good time, it appears, given that the Xinhua news agency has described Stone as "the public enemy of all mankind".

Stone is reasonably popular in China, having appeared at the Shanghai Film Festival last year, and she was well received for her comments about life and love, as well as her praise for China's ancient civilisation. At the same time, the face-cream saleswoman did cause consternation for accusing people of being skin-deep in their thinking about wrinkles. But that was nothing compared to the bad karma comments.

Stone said she was "deeply sorry" for causing anguish and anger among Chinese people for her candid, ill-judged remarks about China's worst natural disaster in three decades. So far, the Sichuan earthquake has killed about 70,000 people and left five million homeless.

"My erroneous words and deeds angered and saddened the Chinese people, and I sincerely apologise for this," the Basic Instinct star said in a statement issued by Dior China. "I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people."