Naomi Campbell has said she was “recently” turned away from a hotel in the South of France because she’s black.
The supermodel recalled the incident in a new interview with French publication Paris Match, in which she says that she was visiting the hotel – which she declines to name – during the Cannes Film Festival.
Explaining that she had been “invited to participate in an event at [the] hotel”, Naomi said: “They wouldn’t let me and my friend in because of the colour of my skin.
“The bouncer made out that the place was full, but then let other people in. It’s because of revolting moments like this one that I’ll continue to express myself and make myself heard.”
The original interview was published in french and translated by HuffPost UK.
Naomi’s revelation came following a question on diversity in the modelling industry.
“The word diversity is everywhere today, but it didn’t exist when I started,” she added. “ I always wanted to be treated equally. Don’t believe that that goes without saying – the challenge is constant.”
Naomi has spoken out on diversity – and the lack of it – in her industry, on numerous occasions.
In April, she revealed that an advertising campaign she had featured in was banned in a “certain country” because she’s black.
“It’s still not balanced completely,” she told Vogue at the time. “I’m the face of a new campaign and I was told that because of the colour of my skin a certain country would not use my picture.”