AceShowbiz - Fashion queen Donatella Versace and her daughter, Allegra, have donated over $222,000 (£180,000) to aid the fight against coronavirus in their native Italy, as the death toll in the country spikes.

Mother and daughter have announced they will be contributing the funds to Milan's San Raffaele hospital, as the nation becomes one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

More than 365 people lost their lives in a 24-hour period over the weekend, taking Italy's death toll to 1,809.

Italian officials have banned all public gatherings and quarantined the entire population in an effort to halt the spread of the virus, and now the Versaces are stepping up to help fund the recovery effort.

"In times like this, it is important to be united and support however we can to help all those who are in the front lines, fighting every day to save hundreds of lives," 67-year-old Donatella states.

"Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this disease and to all the doctors and medical staff who have been working heroically non-stop in the past weeks in the effort to take care of our loved ones. This is when we, as a society, need to stand together and care for one another."