Naomi Campbel l has admitted she knew Jeffrey Epstein but denied any knowledge of his depraved actions in a bizarre YouTube video condemn...
Naomi Campbell has admitted she knew Jeffrey Epstein but denied any knowledge of his depraved actions in a bizarre YouTube video condemning the late pedophile.
The supermodel, 49, released a five-minute clip in which she addressed rumors of her friendship with the billionaire sex offender, who hanged himself in his jail cell earlier this month, and called his sordid activities 'indefensible' and 'sickening'.
'What [Epstein] has done is indefensible, and when I heard it sickened me to my stomach just like everybody else,' said Campbell, who is to be honored for her humanitarian work at a lavish gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London in December.
'I've had my fair share of sexual predators and thank God I had good people around who protected me from this,' she added. 'I stand with the victims. They are scarred for life.'
Questions were raised about her association with Epstein after documents released by the American courts show she was among those who had flown in his private jet, nicknamed the 'Lolita Express' because of his predilection for young girls.
A picture has also emerged showing one of Epstein’s teenage 'sex slaves', Virginia Roberts, now Victoria Giuffre, attending Campbell's lavish 31st birthday party aboard a yacht in Cannes in 2001.
There is no suggestion Campbell was aware of Epstein's illegal activities, but she spent time in the company both of the disgraced financier and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was also at the party.
Ms Maxwell has been accused by Epstein's victims of facilitating the abuse, which she denies.
Campbell's video statement is a response to a Mail on Sunday article this month which pointed to her connections with various disgraced showbiz figures including Epstein and Maxwell, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, plus an array of individuals with criminal pasts.
The Adam Luck-penned article questioned whether she was deserving of an award for her humanitarian work Fashion For Relief - a personal charity dedicated to fighting poverty, sickness and distress - because of those shady connections.
In her response video, released on Tuesday, Campbell is sat in a chair in an apparent interview with an unidentified reporter who asks her a series of questions that lead into her criticism of the article and explanation of her relationship with Epstein.
Asked if she knew Epstein, she said: 'Yes I knew him. I was introduced to him on my 31st birthday by my ex-boyfriend Flavio. He was always front and center at Victoria's Secret shows.
When Campbell is asked if she suspected Epstein's crimes, she responded: 'No. And what he has done is indefensible and when I heard of what he had done, it sickened me to my stomach just like everybody else.
'I've had my fair share of sexual predators and thank God I had good people around me that protected me from this.
'Right now I stand with the victims. They're scarred for life.'
Campbell has a long running relationship with the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway and appeared in ad campaigns for the brand.
She said: 'I find it extraordinary that of all the hundreds of thousands of people that I've stood next to to take pictures with at a public event they've only chosen these few.
'It's going to be very difficult to be photographed at public events because if you do take a photo, it's going to be taken out of context and used in a negative way, so it's going to be sad for everybody.
'I've always said I am not a saint. I'm a work in progress. But I will not be held hostage by my past,' she said of the article, which also highlighted her links with the Liberian warlord Charles Taylor and alleged serial rapist Harvey Weinstein.
Defending the work of her charity, she said: 'I'm not going to stop and I won't be undermined or have my team be undermined for all the wonderful and great work and for all the people who have collaborated and supported the cause that Fashion For Relief chooses each year.'
No comments