John Galliano, the fashion designer on trial for alleged racism, told the court he is addicted to Valium, booze and sleeping pills and can’t remember hurling abuse in the Paris bar.
Galliano was fired as creative director for Dior in March after a video surfaced in which he told a woman in a cafe he "loved Hitler" and that her parents might have been gassed in a Nazi camp, saying, "people like you would be dead."
In the video, Galliano slurs his words and appears drunk.
John Galliano faces court for anti-Semitic abuse
John Galliano arrested
Yesterday in court, Galliano claimed he could not remember the incident and was not racist.
"I'm apologizing because that man you see up there is not John Galliano. I have no recollection of these events," he said.
"I read about them afterwards."
Watch John Galliano's 'I love Hitler' rant here.
Geraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgitti filed a complaint against Galliano after a he hurled racist abuse at them in a Pars café in February.
Another woman who claims Galliano insulted her with anti-Semitic slurs at the same bar in October 2010.
Other plaintiffs include five different French antiracism organizations.
If found guilty, Galliano faces a fine of up to 22,000 euro (around £19,500) and a six-month prison sentence.
In court, Galliano claimed that his stressful job left him addicted to alcohol, Valium and sleeping pills, meaning he was not in control during his alleged racist outburst.
“After every creative high, I would crash, and the drinking would help to escape," he said.
"My body was becoming used to the pills so my intake increased to an amount where I actually can't remember how many I was taking. I had to sleep, so I would take sleeping pills to sleep, and sometimes I took sleeping pills in the day."
Galliano also cited the death of his partner in 2007 as leading to his overload of stress.
He claimed that he has never been racist or anti-Semitic.
Since Galliano was fired he has been treated for substance abuse problems.
