Naomi Campbell: I don’t miss alcohol in my life

The mother of two said she now prays whenever she feels the need to.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has said she does ‘not miss alcohol’ and feels better without the drink in her life (Ian West/PA)
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Charlotte McLaughlin26 January 2024
The Weekender

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Naomi Campbell has said she does “not miss alcohol” and feels better without the drink in her life.

The British supermodel entered rehab in 1999 after a battle with drugs and alcohol and has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

She told the latest issue of Elle UK: “That’s a big thing for me. As you know, I’m in recovery and I take that very seriously.

“And no, I don’t miss alcohol in my life. I feel better without it. Anywhere that’s a place of holiness or spirituality, I will pray. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a plane, I will pray wherever and whenever I feel.”

Last year, Campbell welcomed her second child at the age of 53, a baby boy, and announced in May 2021 that she had become a mother to a baby girl shortly before her 51st birthday.

She said as “things change when you become a mother” you turn down other commitments.

Campbell said: “Since my daughter started going to school, there have been things I’ve been offered that I’d love to do and would if I could.

“But I have to be there on the first day my daughter is starting school. That is very important. I have to be there to pick her up. My children come first.”

She also said she wants them to see the world and “understand different cultures like my mom did with me”.

Campbell also said that the fashion industry needs emerging talent.

She said: “You will always have your top luxury brands; we know that. But you still need that new wave coming in.”

Campbell’s modelling career took off aged 15 and she is regarded as one of world’s most famous models. In 1988, she became the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue.

This year, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London will have an exhibition charting her 40-year career.

Around 100 looks, with designs from Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana, from her four decades in the industry will be on show during “Naomi”.

Campbell said it has been an “emotional process” curating the exhibition.

She said: “I want people to walk away from (it) learning something about me that they didn’t know before. I want it to feel intimate.

“So I’m trying to make it feel personal, as much as I can.”

The March issue of Elle UK is on sale from February 1.

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