Naomi Campbell banned from charity trustee role after allegedly misuing funds

Naomi Campbell has been banned as charity trustee for five years. Getty Images

Naomi Campbell’s charity organization, Fashion for Relief, is under fire — and so is the model.

A watchdog investigation of the charity, which shut down in March, found that much of the money raised during star-studded events over the last decade was misused, according to the Guardian.

The outlet reported on Thursday that Campbell, 54, has now been banned from being a charity trustee for five years.

Her organization reportedly misused funds. Getty Images
The model launched Fashion For Relief in 2005. Getty Images

Tens of thousands of dollars were allegedly spent on the 54-year-old’s lavish hotel stays, spa treatments, personal security, cigarettes and more.

The inquiry also claimed that Campbell’s fellow trustee Bianka Hellmich received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the charity in unauthorized payments.

Hellmich has been banned from holding a charity trustee role for nine years, while another trustee named Veronica Chou was banned for four.

A watchdog investigation into the organization began in 2021. WireImage
Funds were allegedly spent on Campbell’s personal needs. Getty Images

The report further alleged that the charity was “poorly governed” and under “inadequate financial management.”

Between April 2016 and July 2022, 8.5 percent of its overall spending was on charitable grants.

The Daily Mail reported that $5,000 of the $1.6 million fundraised during a Cannes gala was donated over 15 months.

Money reportedly went to hotel rooms, cigarettes and more. Eric Kowalsky / MEGA
She has yet to address the allegations. Janet Mayer / SplashNews.com

Campbell’s rep has yet to respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Fashion For Relief was reported to regulators in 2021, with the Charity Commission for England and Wales opening the inquiry in November of that year.

It announced its intention to “dissolve” Fashion For Relief in December 2023, and the charity shut down three months later.

The charity shut down in March. Getty Images
A fraction of the money it fundraised was allegedly spent on charitable causes. MCvitanovic / SplashNews.com

The probe into its finances and record-keeping resulted in nearly $400,000 being recovered and donated to Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London.

Campbell created the charity in 2005, also launching her We Love Brazil organization that year.

“Nelson Mandela was my inspiration,” she wrote in a statement on the site. “Fashion For Relief is dedicated to improving the lives of those living in adversity, by uniting the fashion industry as a force for good.”

Nearly $400,000 was recovered in the inquiry. Getty Images
Nelson Mandela inspired Campbell to start Fashion For Relief. Getty Images

She went on to claim, “We have provided relief for disasters such as the Haiti earthquake, hurricane Katrina, the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami.”

Campbell’s charity isn’t the only thing getting called out this month, with her punctuality being roasted by Anna Wintour at Fashion Row’s Fashion Show and Style Awards on Sept. 3.

The former “Face” judge clapped back at the shade in her own speech that evening, saying, “It wasn’t my choice to have the other woman [here].”

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