Model says hissy fits are not due to her considering herself a diva

May 4, 2010 10:43 GMT  ·  By
Naomi Campbell says anger problems stem from feelings of abandonment and trust issues
   Naomi Campbell says anger problems stem from feelings of abandonment and trust issues

Model Naomi Campbell, one of the most gorgeous women in the world but also among those with the most flammable temper, has recently taped an appearance on Oprah. Meant to address the controversy around a blood diamond she reportedly received, her fits of rage and what glamour really looks like, the interview sees Naomi at one point breaking down in tears, as the Telegraph can confirm.

Because of the many incidents that had her as the assailant and that inevitably got out in the media, Naomi is currently enjoying the reputation of a diva, one that throws tantrums when she doesn’t get things done her way – and her way only. In reality, she is far from that, she says for Oprah, as her anger issues stem from a sense of abandonment and, ultimately, loneliness. Her life might be glamorous, but glamour is far from what people think of it, Campbell explains.

“It comes from a deeper place than that with me,” Naomi says of her anger, after admitting that she does literally see red when she’s crossed. “It comes from another type of emotional disorder because it’s not just, if I don’t get what I want I throw a fit... It comes from, I think, an abandonment issue and it comes from also trying to just build up a family around me that’s not my immediate family and if I feel a mistrust, then... all my cards go down. I think it’s also a fear issue because anger comes from fear... It’s not an excuse; I don’t have an excuse for my behavior,” she adds.

Still, after the damage is done, she realizes what she’s just done and ends up wishing she could turn back time to undo it. “I take responsibility for the things that I have done, and I do feel a great sense of shame. I feel remorseful. I feel ashamed. I feel for them... [I think,] ‘What have I done to them?’ If I’ve hurt them,” the supermodel goes on to explain. Sadly, she can’t take any of it back.

In the same interview, Naomi also talks about her glamorous life and how it’s actually a rather lonely existence, one in which she has to do what she’s contractually bound to do, without having someone by her side to know and understand her. Below is a video of that part of the interview, where Campbell tries to convince Oprah that models too are human.