| Allegra Versace | |
|---|---|
| Born | Allegra Beck Versace 30 June 1986 Milan, Italy |
| Occupation | Student, heiress, actress, shareholder |
Allegra Beck Versace (born 30 June 1986) is an Italian heiress, aspiring actress, and major shareholder in the Versace company. She is the daughter of designer Donatella Versace and ex-fashion model Paul Beck.[1]
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Allegra Beck is the niece of the late Gianni Versace and was eleven years old when he was murdered on the steps of his Miami Beach home. He doted on his niece, calling her a little princess and once saying, "I like Allegra because she tells me the truth about Donatella."[2]
In his will, Gianni Versace left 30 percent of his fashion empire to his older brother, Santo Versace, 20 percent to his younger sister, Donatella Versace, and 50 percent to Allegra. While Allegra was a minor, her uncle and mother were the trustees of her portion. On her eighteenth birthday, she assumed command of her $700 million fortune, giving her 50% controlling stock at Gianni Versace S.p.A..[3]
Raised outside Milan along with her younger brother, Daniel, Beck has been described as being very close to her mother, though very different. It was said that she was a "serious, sensible and bright" child, "with her hair in pigtails and her nose in a history book."[2] Through her uncle Santo, she has two first cousins: Francesca, a fashion designer and charitable socialite, and Antonio Versace.[4][5]
Beck was educated at Sir James Henderson School in Milan, and attended Brown University in Rhode Island. She divides her time between her mother's home in Milan and a busy social life in both New York City, where her cousin Antonio has a SoHo bachelor pad,[6] and Los Angeles. In 2006, she became a UCLA student of French, art history, and theatre.[7]
Beck appeared emaciated for several years, speculating rumors of an eating disorder. In March 2007, Donatella Versace released a joint statement admitting that Allegra was in treatment for anorexia.[8][9][10][11] She has also been seen wearing anorexia awareness bracelets.