Naomi Remembers George's Freedom

Naomi Campbell has been remembering her friend George Michael, who died on Christmas Day, recalling her experience on the set of his famous 1990 music video for Freedom 90. Campbell appeared lip syncing the song words along with fellow supermodels Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz – and has revealed that the day was not without its challenges.

“We were all different days. Linda and Christy were together, and I was the first day,” she told the panel on American chat show The View yesterday. “I was coming straight from a Thierry Mugler show where we did five shows from 6.30 in the morning till 3am the next morning, and then had to fly out on the first flight from Paris to London and go straight to set! I was exhausted, but I was so happy to be there, to work with David Fincher - and so happy that George chose the five of us from the British Vogue cover that we did. We were all singing the song anyway because we loved the song.”

Campbell remained friends with Michael throughout the years that have passed, and revealed that one of her fondest memories of him was in fact quite a recent one.

“I’m very sad that he’s not here. I got to spend a very special moment with him backstage at the Olympics in London. He was in his dressing room and we heard all this music, we could hear gospel music, and he was in there rehearsing with these gospel singers. Kate and I just sat and watched him; it was amazing. Really gone too soon.”

Despite her sadness at the loss of her friend at the end of last year, Campbell is beginning 2017 with much to look forward to as her new television show, Star, prepares to air. She’s also not immune to a New Year’s resolution, and alongside wanting to “better herself” and “mature”, she is also tackling a problem that’s familiar to many. “I still have a problem with smoking; it’s the hardest one,” she confessed. “It’s less now, but I’m going back to the hypnotist.”