‘I was not in control’: Naomi Campbell defends her role after she was banned from being charity trustee
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has said she was “not in control” of her charity, following her disqualification from being a trustee for five years after the Charity Commission found serious mismanagement of funds.
The 54-year-old model founded Fashion For Relief, a charity merging fashion and philanthropy, in 2005, but an investigation found that just a small proportion of the money went to actual good causes.
Fashion For Relief was dissolved and removed from the register of charities earlier this year.
Misconduct included using charity funds to pay for Campbell’s stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, room service and cigarettes.
Campbell is one of three of the charity’s trustees to be disqualified as a result of the probe.
The Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, opened an inquiry into Fashion For Relief in 2021.
The charity’s mission was to make grants to other organisations and give resources towards global disasters in a bid to relieve poverty and advance health and education.
It hosted fundraising events to generate income, including in Cannes and London.
However, the inquiry found that between April 2016 and July 2022, just 8.5% of the charity’s overall expenditure was on charitable grants.
Campbell said she was “extremely concerned” by the findings and an investigation on her part was under way.
“I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer,” she said after being named a knight in France’s Order of Arts and Letters at the country’s culture ministry for her contribution to French culture.
“We are investigating to find out what and how, and everything I do and every penny I ever raised goes to charity.”
The Charity Commission says it has recovered £344,000, as well as protecting a further £98,000 of charitable funds.
Campbell walking a runway in Milan, Italy, in 2012. Pic: AP
Three nights at a five-star hotel
They say they saw no evidence that trustees took action to ensure fundraising methods were in the charity’s best interests, or that the money it spent was reasonable relative to the income it generated.
It also said it found some fundraising expenditure to be misconduct or mismanagement by the charity’s trustees.
This included a €14,800 (£12,300) flight from London to Nice for transferring art and jewellery to a fundraising event in Cannes in 2018.
It also looked into the decision to spend €9,400 (£7,800) of charity funds on a three-night stay at a five-star hotel for Campbell.
In these cases, the trustees “failed to show how these were cost-effective and an appropriate use of the charity’s resources”, the Charity Commission said.
Pic: Reuters
Spa treatments, room service and cigarettes
Furthermore, it examined expenses incurred by Campbell totalling nearly €7,940 (£6,600), alongside the hotel stay, paid for by the charity.
These costs included spa treatments, room service, and the purchase of cigarettes and hotel products.
The regulator said trustees explained that hotel costs were typically covered by a donor to the charity, therefore not costing the charity, but failed to provide any evidence to support this.
Bianka Hellmich has been disqualified as a trustee for nine years, and Veronica Chou for four years, as well as Campbell’s five-year ban.
It means they are prevented from being a trustee or holding a senior management role in any charity in England and Wales during the length of the disqualification.
Campbell was discovered as a schoolgirl, and she went on to become the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue.
The 54-year-old model welcomed her second child, a son, last year, following her daughter who was born in 2021, shortly before her 51st birthday.
Sky News has reached out to Campbell’s representatives for comment.
A mother-of-four was among two skydivers who died following a “tragic accident” at an airfield in Devon.
Belinda Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene following Friday afternoon’s incident in the area of Dunkeswell Aerodrome near Honiton.
On Facebook, her partner Scott Armstrong wrote: “I miss you so much, you were my best friend.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, from making my children feel at home to putting up with my mess.
“… there’s just so much that I don’t have the words to express it.
“I feel so lost. I don’t know where home is without you.”
Dunkeswell Aerodrome near Honiton, Devon. Pic: Google Street View
Ms Taylor’s eldest son, Connor Bowles, paid tribute to a “selfless woman” who was also a grandmother to two young children.
Thanking investigators for their work so far, he told DevonLive: “She will be deeply missed and will leave an everlasting impression on all those she has met in life.”
The identity of the second skydiver who died is yet to be made public, but their family has been informed.
British Skydiving has confirmed it will be investigating the incident – with a report sent to the coroner, the Civil Aviation Authority and the police.
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In a statement, SkydiveBuzz, which operates at the airfield, said its “deepest condolences go out to the families, friends and everyone affected by this devastating event”.
A spokesperson added: “Safety is, and always has been, our top priority. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and continue to uphold the highest possible standards in everything we do.
“No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected, including our team, during this incredibly difficult time.”
Career spy Blaise Metreweli will become the first woman to head MI6 in a “historic appointment”, the prime minister has announced.
She will take over from Sir Richard Moore as the 18th Chief, also known as “C”, when he steps down in the autumn.
“The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital,” Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement released on Sunday night.
“The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services.”
Of the other main spy agencies, GCHQ is also under female command for the first time.
Anne Keast-Butler took on the role in 2023, while MI5 has previously twice been led by a woman.
Until now, a female spy chief had only headed MI6 – also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) – in the James Bond movies.
Blaise Metreweli is the first woman to be named head of MI6. Pic: Reuters
Dame Judi Dench held the fictional role – called “M” in the films instead of “C” – between 1995 and 2015.
Ms Metreweli currently serves as “Q”, one of four director generals inside MI6.
The position – also made famous by the James Bond films, with the fictional “Q” producing an array of spy gadgets – means she is responsible for technology and innovation.
Ms Metreweli, a Cambridge graduate, joined MI6 in 1999.
Unlike the outgoing chief, who spent some of his service as a regular diplomat in the foreign office, including as ambassador to Turkey, she has spent her entire career as an intelligence officer.
Much of that time was dedicated to operational roles in the Middle East and Europe.
Ms Metreweli, who is highly regarded by colleagues, also worked as a director at MI5.
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In a statement, she said she was “proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service”.
“MI6 plays a vital role – with MI5 and GCHQ – in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas,” she said.
“I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.”
Sir Richard said: “Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology. I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6.”
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