LONDON (AP) — Supermodel Naomi Campbell won a legal challenge Thursday to overturn a five-year ban on serving as a charity trustee in England and Wales that she said had “hurt deeply.”
A three-judge tribunal found that Campbell, 56, had been “deceived” by Bianka Hellmich, a fellow trustee in the anti-poverty charity Fashion for Relief, which hosted fundraising events in Cannes and London.
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Two years ago, the Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, found “multiple instances of misconduct and/or mismanagement" at the charity. This included using charity funds to pay for her stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, as well as spa treatments, room service and cigarettes. As a result, it imposed the ban on Campbell.
In its ruling, the tribunal confirmed there had been “serious misconduct and mismanagement,” but concluded that the “failures in the management of the charity’s finances and the misuse of its funds” resulted from Hellmich’s conduct. These, it added, were “concealed” from the supermodel.
The judges found that Hellmich “used forged documents” and also deceived professional advisers and the Charity Commission.
The judges also said that while Campbell shared responsibility for the charity failing to file its accounts on time, this did not mean she was unfit to be a charity trustee.
Following the judges' verdict, Campbell said she was “so grateful” and that she wanted to get back to helping people.
“Giving back has been part of who I am, so having that questioned hurt deeply," she said.
During the four-day hearing in June in London, Campbell had said her “only mistake” was trusting Hellmich, who she alleged forged her signature and lied about her credentials as a charity lawyer.
The commission had opposed Campbell’s challenge and said the five-year ban should be upheld.
A probe into Fashion for Relief was opened by the commission in 2021, with the charity dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.
