Campbell craves control

The British supermodel was one of the stars of US show The Face, which aimed to find the next big fashion star. The series has now moved to the UK, with Naomi again guiding a group of wannabes through the pitfalls of the industry.

She is clear about what her role entails.

“No, I’m not a friend. When I came on board, I agree to be a mentor, not a friend. We care about our girls – that’s just a normal thing to happen. But in order for you to have some type of authority, you can’t be a friend,” she told British magazine InStyle.

Naomi was asked to explain how she teaches someone to model, but insisted it was “impossible” to put into words. She also declined to talk about the US show, following the news that Coco Rocha and Karolina Kurkova have decided not to return as mentors for season two.

The star softened when discussing what her group of hopefuls mean to her.

“I do feel a great responsibility for all the models, because I know that when they went for the casting they went because of me. I do really care about what happens to them, but I don’t give any false hope,” she explained.

Erin O’Connor and Victoria’s Secret star Caroline Winberg are on the UK panel with the fiery supermodel. Erin takes a different approach to mentoring and thinks nothing of sharing her secrets with her team.

“What about the time I didn’t actually make it onto the Dior couture catwalk? My corset was so tight that I fainted and it had to be cut off by a sexy French fireman, while I was held in the recovery position,” she laughed.

Erin insists she gets on well with the other mentors, explaining there is a simple reason why she has bonded with Naomi.

“There’s a bit of argy-bargy. All the mentors are very driven. Naomi and I really found our ground together – the beauty of our connection is that we are polar opposites. I’m very patient, she’s very direct,” she said.