Naomi Campbell Wins Appeal Against Five-Year Charity Trustee Ban

Naomi Campbell has successfully appealed a five-year ban preventing her from serving as a charity trustee after a London tribunal ruled that serious financial misconduct at her former charity had been concealed from her.

The 56-year-old supermodel founded Fashion for Relief in 2005 to raise money for humanitarian causes through fashion events. The charity was removed from England and Wales’ register of charities in 2024 following an investigation into financial mismanagement.

The Charity Commission had also disqualified Campbell from acting as a charity trustee for five years. The regulator’s investigation found that charity money had been used for expenses including a hotel stay, spa treatments, room service and cigarettes during an event in Cannes in 2018.

The investigation also found that a fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, had received unauthorised payments. According to the tribunal, Hellmich used forged documents and misled professional advisers and the Charity Commission.

Campbell argued that she had not known about the misuse of the charity’s funds and had been deceived by Hellmich. After reviewing the evidence, the tribunal agreed that the most serious financial misconduct had been concealed from Campbell.

The judges found that Campbell was not involved in the inappropriate use of the charity’s resources or the unauthorised payments. They also said she shared responsibility for administrative failures, including the late filing of accounts, but concluded that those failures did not make her unfit to serve as a trustee under the circumstances.

Hellmich had already been disqualified from acting as a charity trustee for nine years, while another trustee, Veronica Chou, received a four-year disqualification.

Following the ruling, Campbell said she was grateful that the tribunal had considered her side of the story. She also said that charitable work remained important to her and that she wanted to continue supporting people and communities.

The Charity Commission said its original decision had been based on the evidence available at the time. The regulator also acknowledged that Campbell, the commission and others had been affected by what it described as sophisticated deception.

Fashion for Relief was ultimately dissolved in 2024. The Charity Commission said its intervention helped ensure that nearly £250,000 raised for other charities was transferred to organisations that were owed the money.

The tribunal’s decision overturns Campbell’s five-year disqualification, while leaving the findings of serious misconduct and mismanagement within Fashion for Relief intact.

Sources

• Reuters — October 1, 2026.
• Associated Press — October 1, 2026.
• The Guardian — October 1, 2026.