A decade ago, Naomi Campbell had a reputation for being temperamental. In 2006, she did 200 hours of community service after throwing a Blackberry at her housekeeper. The following year, she was banned from British Airways after a violent altercation with the police. After that, fans thought the 66-time Vogue cover girl had already handled her anger issues.
But in 2010, she walked out off an interview where she was asked about her involvement in blood diamonds that were reportedly given to her by former Liberian President Charles Taylor — a convicted war criminal. The supermodel got so upset that she allegedly punched the camera as she was leaving. Here's what really happened there.
Naomi Campbell's Involvement In Charles Taylor's Blood Diamonds
Before she was linked to Jeffrey Epstein, Campbell was tied to Taylor's war crimes, specifically his blood diamonds. He apparently gave her the diamonds as a "gift" after a charity dinner in South Africa in 1997. She initially denied the claims but later admitted that she received a small pouch with "small, dirty-looking stones" after the said dinner. "When I was asleep I had a knock at my door," she recalled the incident during her testimony in August 2010. "Two men were there and they gave me a pouch and said 'a gift for you.'" However, she said the men didn't introduce themselves.
Campbell said she saw the stones the next day while having breakfast with her agent and actress Mia Farrow. "One of the two said well, 'That's obviously [from] Charles Taylor,' and I said, 'I guess it was,'" she recalled. However, she claimed that she'd never heard of Liberia or its former President before. She didn't even know that blood diamonds were. When asked about the whereabouts of the diamonds, she said she'd given them to her "friend" — former head of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund — and told him to "do something good with them."
However, documents from the organization "categorically" show that they'd never received them. "He [the friend] still has them so they didn't benefit," Campbell explained. She initially refused to testify and was vocal about it at the war crimes court. "I don't want to be here," she said. "I was made to be here...this is an inconvenience to me." To this day, those lines are deemed iconic by fans. It's also been turned into thousands of memes on the internet.
Naomi Campbell's Intense Blood Diamonds Interview
In April 2010, Campbell was ambushed in an ABC News interview with questions about the blood diamonds. "You received a diamond from Charles...," said the interviewer. The model immediately interrupted her. "I didn't receive a diamond and I'm not going to speak about that. Thank you very much," said the Fashion for Relief founder. "And I'm not here for that." However, the reporter kept asking questions about Taylor, such as if Campbell had dinner with him. "I had dinner with Nelson Mandela. Thank you very much," the model answered.
Her dismissive response didn't stop the reporter. She went on to ask a more direct question about the blood diamonds, causing Campbell to look away and let her agent speak. "We're not answering these questions," said her rep. The interviewer continued and even asked the model about "not helping with the prosecution." Campbell gave her a sharp look and said, "Thank you so much, goodbye," before walking out. She was also caught knocking the camera over.
What Naomi Campbell Has Said About The Blood Diamonds Interview
Campbell denied that she punched the camera as initially reported. "There definitely is sound effect [added]," she later told Oprah. "There were three cameras, and I went to walk out the door, and the other one came in the way. So I moved the first one out to get to the door, and there were two more." She also clarified that she left because of the sensitive questions that might further involve her in the case. "[Taylor] wasn't invited, and none of us knew who he was. He wasn't part of our group," Campbell said of that 1997 dinner. "But he did show up and we understood who he was after it was explained."
It's also possible that the media exaggerated Campbell's behavior in the interview. Two weeks before the incident, she reportedly assaulted a New York City chauffeur. "I wouldn't have given the statement if I had done something wrong," she said of the alleged assault. "[The statement] said, 'I wouldn't be held hostage to my past.'... Because of my behavior in my past, I will be sometimes pointed at and said, 'She hit me.' And I've got no proof of saying any different."
