Naomi Campbell Banned from Charity Role After Funds Misused

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a charity trustee after a UK watchdog found that her charity, Fashion for Relief, misused funds on luxury hotels, cigarettes, and other personal expenses.

The Charity Commission discovered that Fashion for Relief, which was set up to raise money for disaster relief and other good causes, didn’t give as much money to charities as it promised. Instead, some of the funds were spent on Campbell’s security and unauthorized payments to other trustees.

Naomi Campbell, 54, said she only found out about the findings recently and is “extremely concerned.” She added that she wasn’t the one controlling the charity’s money.

Findings of the Investigation

Naomi Campbell has been banned from being involved in any charity for five years. Two other trustees, Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, were also banned for nine years and four years, respectively.

The investigation showed that Hellmich was paid £290,000 for consultancy work, which was not allowed under the charity’s rules. Although she had offered to pay the money back, the Charity Commission made sure the funds were fully recovered. Nearly £345,000 was returned, with additional safeguards put in place to protect another £98,000.

These recovered funds were given to two charities—Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London—that had partnered with Fashion for Relief. The money also helped settle debts of the now-closed charity.

Little Given to Charity

The investigation covered the charity’s finances from April 2016 to July 2022 and found that only 8.5% of the money raised went to charitable grants. Both Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London had raised concerns about how Fashion for Relief was managing donations.

Tim Hopkins, a member of the Charity Commission’s investigation team, stated, “Trustees must act in the best interests of their charity and follow their legal duties.” He added, “The trustees of this charity failed to do so, which is why we have disqualified them.”

Fashion for Relief was officially removed from the UK charity register in March 2024. The BBC has contacted Naomi Campbell’s representatives for comment.