Naomi Campbell banned from being charity trustee after financial misconduct

Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a charity trustee after an inquiry found evidence of misconduct.

Naomi Campbell has been disqualified from serving as a charity trustee for five years after the UK Charity Commission uncovered significant financial misconduct at Fashion For Relief, the poverty relief charity she led for over a decade. The inquiry revealed that only a small portion of the millions raised from high-profile events was donated to charitable causes. Instead, the charity spent large sums on luxury hotel stays, spa treatments, cigarettes, and personal security for Campbell.

Additionally, unauthorized payments amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds were made to Campbell's fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, who received £290,000 in consultancy fees and expenses. Hellmich was disqualified for nine years, while a third trustee, Veronica Chou, was banned for four years. The inquiry also exposed chaotic financial management and poor record-keeping within the charity, which was dissolved in March 2024.

The Charity Commission's assistant director for specialist investigations, Tim Hopkins, stated, "Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities. Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so."

Investigators recovered nearly £350,000, which was redistributed to Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London, charities that reported Fashion For Relief to the regulators four years ago after partnerships deteriorated.