Italian fashion legend Valentino has admitted that one of the regrets of his life is that he never had children.
"I'm sorry I never had children. In the end you're just left with the affection of friends," the world-famous designer said in an interview to be published in Vanity Fair on Wednesday.
The interview, which looks back on Valentino's long career and the people he met through it, also reveals that at a certain unspecified point he considered adoption.
But it never happened and the 75-year-old stylist, who has a longstanding companion in business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, joked that it was probably a good thing.
The stress and the worry of parenthood would have worn him out, he said.
"I have five dogs, pugs, and when I leave them alone for a week I send a vet at least twice to check they're OK. Just imagine if I had children! I'd go mad".
Valentino, returns to Rome next month for three days of festivities marking his 45 years as stylist to some of the world's most glamorous women.
Although his fashion house is based in Rome, near the Spanish Steps, Valentino has shown his haute couture collections in Paris for the last 17 years. He recently confirmed he will present his new collection in the Italian capital.
"I love Rome. It's always been my home. The headquarters has always been here, this is where I began in the sixties, those extraordinary years of the Dolce Vita".
The designer, whose full name is Valentino Garavani, has promised to turn heads with "the biggest show the fashion world has ever seen".
