Former supermodel Naomi Campbell said on Wednesday (Feb 5) she will appeal against a UK watchdog ban on being a charity trustee, suggesting “fake identities” had wrongly implicated her in a funding scandal.
The Charity Commission last year banned the 54-year-old from running any charity for five years after identifying “multiple instances of misconduct” in the running of her Fashion for Relief organisation.
It found charity money had been used to pay for Campbell to stay in a five-star hotel in the south of France, including spa treatments and room service.
The ex-supermodel at the time branded the watchdog’s findings “deeply flawed” and insisted that newly-instructed advisers were investigating what happened at the charity.
In a statement released late on Wednesday, she said a tribunal had granted her permission to appeal the commission’s findings “after considering the evidence I have submitted”.
“Ever since the commission’s report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking,” Campbell stated.
“I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through.”
Campbell insisted she had “never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so”.
