Britain has banned supermodel Naomi Campbell from acting as a charity trustee for five years after discovering that donations to a charity she founded were used for personal purposes. This information is surprising because the “Black Panther” of the famous fashion world is wealthy.

Accused of using charity money for personal expenses

On September 27, Reuters reported that Naomi Campbell was banned from leading any charity in England and Wales for five years after an investigation into allegations that the supermodel, born in 1970, violated the management of the charity Fashion for Relief.

Fashion for Relief was founded by Naomi in 2015 to raise funds for humanitarian causes by holding fashion shows. However, Fashion for Relief was removed from the UK’s list of charities at the beginning of 2024.

Naomi Campbell has been banned from acting as a charity trustee in the UK for five years following the Fashion for Relief financial scandal. Photo: Getty Images.

According to an investigation report published on September 26, the UK Charity Commission said it found many cases of misconduct and poor management.

Specifically, in the period 2016-2022, Fashion for Relief raised about 4.8 million pounds ($6.4 million) through fashion shows. However, the regulator found that only 8.5% (389,000 pounds ~ $520,000) was transferred to charity grant accounts after covering event costs and other fees.

Meanwhile, thousands of pounds were spent on Naomi’s personal needs, including spa treatments, room service, cigarettes and five-star hotel amenities.

Some of the alleged misuses listed include a 14,800 euro ($16,500) flight from London to Nice to transport artwork and jewelry to a fundraising event in Cannes in 2018, 9,400 euros ($10,490) for a three-night stay at a five-star hotel, nearly 7,940 euros ($8,861) for spa treatments and cigarettes, and other hotel expenses.

The regulator said trustees explained that hotel expenses were typically paid for by the charity’s sponsor, not the charity’s expense. However, they provided no evidence to support this.

Authorities also determined that Bianka Hellmich, Naomi’s trustee, received £290,000 ($388,000) in unauthorised consultancy fees and £26,000 ($35,000) in annual travel expenses from the charity over two years. Hellmich is now banned from working as a trustee for nine years. In addition, another trustee, Veronica Chou, has been banned from working for four years.

“Trustees have a legal duty to make decisions in the best interests of the charity and to comply with their legal obligations and responsibilities. Our investigation found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so,” said Charity Commission deputy director Tim Hopkins.

The regulator has recovered more than £400,000 ($535,000) from Fashion For Relief, which was used to pay off the organization’s debts. The remaining balance was transferred to other charities.

It is noteworthy that on the day she was banned from being a charity trustee in her home country, Naomi was awarded the title of Chevalier of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.

Naomi Campbell was awarded the French title of Chevalier des Arts et des Letters on the day she was banned from charity work. Photo: X.

Immediately after receiving the award, Naomi told  AP News : “I just learned about these findings today and I am extremely concerned. We are investigating because I did not control my charity and gave control to a lawyer. We are investigating to find out what I do and how everything I do and every penny I donate goes to charities.”

Top 10 richest supermodels of all time

Naomi Campbell, full name Naomi Elaine Campbell, was born on May 22, 1970 in London (England). Naomi’s mother is Valerie Morris, a Jamaican-Chinese dancer. Naomi never met her father because he abandoned her mother when she was pregnant. Later, Naomi took her stepfather’s surname.

Because of her mother’s work, Naomi had the opportunity to be exposed to the entertainment world at an early age. She appeared in Bob Marley’s music video  Is This Love  at the age of 7 and danced in Culture Club’s video  I’ll Tumble 4 Ya  at the age of 12.

At the age of 15, while shopping in Covent Garden (UK), she was discovered and recruited by Beth Boldt, director of the Synchro Model Agency. She was on the cover of the British version of Elle magazine before she turned 16.

Naomi’s modeling career took off quickly. She was one of the top three models in the world in the late 1980s and 1990s. Naomi is also listed as one of the six models hailed as the first supermodels (along with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss).

Until now, at an age when most of her contemporaries have retired, Naomi still has a solid position in the fashion world.

Naomi Campbell is a top name in the modeling world, and is still attractive at over 50 years old. Photo: Getty Images/WireImage.

She was nicknamed the “black panther” of the world’s modeling industry. She became the face of more than 500 magazines and was the first black model to appear on the covers of French Vogue, British Vogue and Time.

Besides modeling, Naomi also tried her hand at many other fields such as music, writing books, acting, producing reality TV shows… and achieved certain successes. However, she is still most famous as a model.

According to Marie Claire magazine  , Naomi Campbell ranked 10th on the list of “The Richest Models of All Time”.  Celebrity Net World  estimates Naomi’s net worth at around $80 million.

Outside of work, Naomi is known for her charitable work. In 2007, the British supermodel was elected honorary president of Athla Onlus, an Italian charity that supports the social integration of young people with learning disabilities. In the same year, Naomi was appointed ambassador of Rio de Janeiro for her contributions to We Love Brazil, an organization Naomi founded in 2005 to fight poverty in Brazil.

Two years later, she became a goodwill ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, working with the charity’s founder to raise awareness about the need for safe pregnancy and childbirth. Also that year, the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College (USA) awarded the  Empire actress  the title of Honorary Patron in recognition of her contributions to charity.

She also received the Outstanding Contribution Award from British Elle magazine in 2010, honoring both her career and her role as an ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance.

The controversial charity Fashion for Relief was originally created to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the 2008 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Japan earthquake.

Naomi has been involved in charity work for nearly 20 years. Photo: Getty Images.

Campbell has also been a vocal voice on racism in the fashion industry. The Black Panther has said she has always had to work harder to be treated equally. In 2013, Naomi, Iman and Bethann Hardison founded the Diversity Coalition, which advocates for diversity and inclusion on the runway.

She also supports many other charities, including the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and Breakthrough Breast Cancer…

Because of her impressive resume, Naomi’s ban from charity work has caused a stir in public opinion. Many netizens have taken to Instagram to express their disappointment and criticize the 54-year-old supermodel.

Viewers commented: “Pull her off the catwalk. Fame doesn’t solve her responsibilities”, “Rich and wants to get richer by donating money to the poor. What a waste of words”, “I hope they catch her”, “I always knew there was something dark about her. She can escape the law, but in the end it will be between her and God. Please don’t stop investigating her”, “Time to go to jail”, “I’m sure she hasn’t made enough money from modeling”, “What a trash”…