Actor Fabio has branded George Clooney "a low-class scumbag" after allegedly insulting female diners at a Hollywood restaurant.

The romance icon stunned diners at the swanky Madeo eaterie when he exchanged fighting words with Clooney on November 2. But Fabio insists he was defending guests at his charity function and was forced to take action when a female dining companion complained Clooney called her "a fat cow."

He says, "(George) was drunk and thought people were taking pictures of him. So I went to the table and explained to him that we were having a charity dinner and I said, 'You're more than welcome to come to my table and see if there was a picture of you.' I apologized and he started being rude so I put him in his place. After I put him in his place - you know I'm three times his size - he got a little scared. I went back to my table and as soon as I sit down he paid his bill, got up and he started insulting the girls. He called the women names. At that point I lost my temper. I went after him and he ran out of the restaurant. You have to be a low-class, scumbag to start calling a woman a name. If you're a man, you should never. You should be a gentleman. These women were with me and as a man I defend them. He was lucky he ran out of the restaurant. He's not even half a man."

[imdb]