Naomi Campbell in court over 'blood diamond' gift

By Eleanor Young on Friday 6 August 2010

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Supermodel Naomi Campbell gave evidence at the war crimes trial of former Liberia president Charles Taylor, yesterday, describing how she was woken in the night by men who gave her diamonds.

The star - who had been attending a charity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa and was staying in rooms at his house - described how men knocked on the door in the middle of the night and gave her a pouch containing 'small, dirty looking stones'.

And when she mentioned the incident to other guests the next morning, Naomi reveals she was told: 'That’s obviously Charles Taylor.’

'They were dirty-looking pebbles. I'm used to seeing diamonds, shiny and in a box,' she said, adding that she often receives gifts day and night, so wasn’t surprised by the gem delivery.

Dressed in a prim white dress with matching cardigan, the model denied talking to Mr Taylor about the stones, describing how she gave them to a colleague and asked him to ‘do something good with them’, meaning for them to be giving to charity.

Naomi is giving evidence in the trial of the African dictator, who prosecutors allege sold arms to rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for diamonds during the 1990 civil war.

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But the star was initially reluctant, and had to be subpoenaed by the judge to appear.

'I don't want to be here. I was made to be here... This is an inconvenience to me,' she told the court in Amsterdam, before being whisked away by a waiting car.

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Sorry but I thought she came out of this looking terrible. It was an inconvience for her to be there? What about the 'inconvenience' of civil war!! She's not as innocent/stupid as she is making out.
Comment by Jeni on August 06 14:25

How priviliged to be able to say you are used to seeing diamonds in a box! How innocent!How compassionate!How unbelievable!
Comment by catherine on August 06 16:30

She says she "doesn't feel a beautiful person at all". Certainly isn't on the inside as far as I can tell. She must be one of the most self-centred people on the planet to describe a war-crimes trial as an inconvenience. Shame on her.
Comment by Rachel on August 06 20:21

what has she done to her face -- she looks like a blowfish with overdone fillers/botox
Comment by stephanie on August 08 18:23