Leathery Donatella Versace forgets to pack her sunscreen

There's 50 and fabulous. And then there's Donatella Versace.

The fashion designer, once famed for her curves, appeared tired and gaunt as she strolled along a beach in the Caribbean.

The 53-year-old, who is spending the Christmas period in an exclusive resort on St Barts, has previously admitted to having cosmetic surgery to stave off the signs of ageing.

Leathery: Donatella Versace revealed her over-tanned leathery body on the beach in St Barts yesterday

But yesterday onlookers claimed it was likely that the mother of two's love of sunbathing will prove her undoing.

The habit has taken a heavy toll on her skin, which appears to be deeply wrinkled and loose on her emaciated frame.

She has also desperately clung to her long platinum blonde hair despite it making her appear much older.

Overdone: Donatella also looked painfully thin as she walked on the beach with an equally tanned male companion

Miss Versace, who is worth £500million, battled a cocaine and alcohol addiction for more than a decade, and was forced into rehab four years ago.

She said at the time: 'I did it for myself, first. You can't do it for another reason. I knew I was hurting people.

'And if I wasn't functioning, nothing around me was functioning - I was aware of that.'

A white shade of pale: The designer, pictured last year at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks party in London