Dior drops Sharon Stone in China

Actress Sharon Stone has been dropped by cosmetics firm Christian Dior from its Chinese adverts following remarks she made about the recent earthquake.

The firm's Chinese office also issued a statement attributed to Stone, in which she apologised for saying the disaster could have been the result of "karma".

In it, Stone said she was "deeply sorry" that her remarks, made in a TV interview last week, caused anguish.

The quake struck south-west China on 12 May, and has claimed 68,000 lives.

Relief work

Stone, 50, models for Christian Dior, and the company's Shanghai office issued her apology.

"Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people," the statement said.

"I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people."

Dior's China branch also distanced itself from Stone's remarks.

"We don't agree with her hasty, unreflecting remarks and we deeply regret them," it said in a Chinese-language statement.

"We absolutely do not support any remark that hurts the Chinese people's feelings."

Stone made the controversial remarks at the Cannes Film Festival last week, leading to pledges by some Chinese cinemas not to show her films.

"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone told a Hong Kong TV crew.

"And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, 'is that karma - when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?'"

Around 20,000 people are still missing following the earthquake, with five million left homeless.