57 Facts About Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades.

Naomi Elaine Campbell was born in Lambeth, South London to Jamaican-born dancer Valerie Morris on 22 May 1970.

Naomi Campbell took the surname "Campbell" from her mother's second marriage.

Naomi Campbell spent her early years in Rome, Italy, where her mother worked as a modern dancer.

From age three, Naomi Campbell attended the Barbara Speake Stage School and at 10 she was accepted into the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet.

In 1978 at age 8, Naomi Campbell made her first public appearance in the music video for Bob Marley's "Is This Love".

Naomi Campbell tap-danced in 1983 in the music video for Culture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Mistake number 3", in 1984.

Naomi Campbell had studied dance from age 3 to 16, and originally intended to be a dancer.

In 1986, while still a student of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Naomi Campbell was scouted by Beth Boldt, head of the Synchro Model Agency, while window-shopping in Covent Garden.

In January 1990, Naomi Campbell, who was declared "the reigning megamodel of them all" by Interview, appeared with Turlington, Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz on a cover of British Vogue, shot by Peter Lindbergh.

In 1993, Naomi Campbell twice appeared on the cover of American Vogue; in April, alongside Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour and Helena Christensen, and again, solo, in June.

Naomi Campbell famously fell on the Vivienne Westwood 1993 Fall catwalk in foot-high platform shoes, which were later displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

In 1995, along with fellow models Schiffer, Turlington and Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell invested in a chain of restaurants called the Fashion Cafe, whose directors were arrested three years later for fraud, bankruptcy and money laundering.

Naomi Campbell continued modelling, both on the runway and, more frequently, on print.

In 2011, Naomi Campbell appeared with Liya Kebede and Iman on the cover of the 40th-anniversary issue of Essence.

Naomi Campbell performed with Kate Moss and other supermodels in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, where they modelled haute couture to represent British fashion.

In March 2013, Naomi Campbell graced the inaugural cover of Numero Russia.

Naomi Campbell became involved in reality television through the modelling competition The Face and its international offshoots.

Naomi Campbell hosted the British version of the show, which aired on Sky Living later that same year, and The Face Australia, which ran on Fox8 in 2014.

In 2014, Naomi Campbell covered the May issue of Vogue Australia, the September issue of Vogue Japan, and the November issue of Vogue Turkey; the latter two were special editions celebrating Naomi Campbell and fellow supermodels.

Naomi Campbell covered the Vietnamese, Singaporean and the 35th anniversary Latin American edition of Harper's Bazaar.

In 2014, Naomi Campbell was named TV Personality of the year by Glamour Magazine.

In 2015, Campbell signed on as a recurring character in the Fox drama Empire as Camilla Marks, a fashion designer and love interest to Hakeem Lyon, portrayed by Bryshere Y Gray.

In October 2015, Naomi Campbell was featured in a two-episode arc in American Horror Story: Hotel, as a Vogue fashion editor named Claudia Bankson.

In 2016, Naomi Campbell appeared in the music video for Anohni's single "Drone Bomb Me".

In June 2018, Naomi Campbell received the Fashion Icon award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

In 2019, Naomi Campbell received the first beauty contract of her career, with NARS Cosmetics.

The 50th episode of No Filter with Naomi Campbell premiered on March 16,2021, featuring guest Jean Paul Gaultier.

On January 12,2021, Naomi Campbell was appointed as a tourism ambassador by the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

In February 2021, Naomi Campbell appeared on the cover of i-D magazine's Spring issue, describing it as one of the few times she's had the opportunity to work with a photographer of colour.

In March 2021, Naomi Campbell was named as the face of the relaunch advertising campaign for streetwear brand Hood by Air.

In July 2022, Naomi Campbell was awarded an honorary doctorate by UCA for her impact on global fashion.

Naomi Campbell appeared in a print and media campaign for the charity's fundraising initiative Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, and she opened a Breakthrough breast cancer research unit in 2009.

In 2005, Naomi Campbell founded the charity We Love Brazil, which aims to raise awareness and funds to fight poverty in Brazil through the sale of fabrics made by local women.

That same year, Naomi Campbell founded the charity Fashion for Relief, which has organised fund-raising fashion shows to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Japan earthquake in 2011, and the Syrian refugee crisis in 2017.

In 2018 Naomi Campbell held another Relief charity gala and the theme was Race To Equality.

Since 2007, Naomi Campbell has been the honorary president of Athla Onlus, an Italian organisation that works to further the social integration of young people with learning disabilities.

In 2009, Naomi Campbell became a goodwill ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood.

Naomi Campbell has since joined the charity's patron, Sarah Brown, the wife of former British prime minister Gordon Brown, on several missions to promote maternal health.

In February 2021, Naomi Campbell was a signatory on an open letter decrying Ghana's stance on gay rights.

Naomi Campbell was joined by other signers, like actor Idris Elba and Vogue Magazine editor-in-chief Edward Enniful.

Naomi Campbell has been convicted of assault on four occasions, after she was accused eleven times of committing acts of violence against employees, associates and other individuals between 1998 and 2009.

Naomi Campbell paid her former employee an undisclosed sum and agreed to attend anger management classes; her record was cleared in exchange for her expressing remorse.

In January 2007, Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty in New York to assaulting her former housekeeper, who had accused Naomi Campbell of throwing a BlackBerry personal organiser at her in March 2006.

Naomi Campbell was sentenced to pay her former employee's medical expenses, attend an anger management program, and perform five days of community service with New York's sanitation department.

In June 2008, Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers at London Heathrow Airport two months earlier; she had kicked and spat at the officers following an argument about her lost luggage.

In July 2015, Naomi Campbell was sentenced to six months' probation by a Sicilian court for her August 2009 assault on a paparazzo photographer; she had hit him with her handbag for taking pictures of her and her then-partner.

Naomi Campbell was called to give evidence on a "blood diamond" she allegedly received from Taylor during a Nelson Mandela Children's Fund function in 1997.

Naomi Campbell testified that she was given "dirty-looking" stones late at night by two unidentified men, and claimed she did not know the diamonds had originated from Taylor until being told so the next morning by a fellow attendee, actress Mia Farrow.

Naomi Campbell regards French-based Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaia, whom she met at 16, as her "papa".

Naomi Campbell holds high respect toward record producers Quincy Jones and Chris Blackwell as adopted father figures.

Naomi Campbell first met Mandela in November 1994, after his party, the African National Congress, invited her to travel to South Africa to meet with their leader.

Naomi Campbell had previously donated the proceeds from a photo shoot in Tanzania to the ANC.

Naomi Campbell had relationships with Robert De Niro, Hassan Jameel, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Usher.

In February 2022, Naomi Campbell confirmed to Vogue that her daughter was not adopted, posing with her child for a photoshoot.

In 1999, Naomi Campbell entered rehab after a five-year cocaine drug addiction and alcohol addiction.

In 2002, Naomi Campbell won a breach of confidentiality lawsuit against the Daily Mirror, after the newspaper published a report of her drug addiction, including a photograph of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.