Naomi Campbell has no knowledge of father

Naomi Campbell has no idea if her father is alive.

The 40-year-old supermodel has never met her dad - who is not named on her birth certificate - and has no interest in tracking him down out of respect for her mother Valerie, who was left to raise Naomi alone when she was just 18.

She said: "I've thought about it. But I don't want to hurt my mum. She's been through a lot. She went through cancer. She has faced a lot of challenges. She travelled the world and she dealt with any situation.

"Is he alive? I don't know."

Naomi insists her childhood was a happy one, despite her absent father, and she knew she wanted to be a performer from the age of just three.

However, she admits her main motivation to get into the prestigious Italia Conti stage school was the promise of a new doll from her mother - who was a former ballet dancer.

She recalled: "I had to audition to get into the school. Auditions for 500 children! My mum said, 'Naomi, there's no way you're going to get it. But if you get it, I'll take you to get a Sindy set at Hamley's (London toy store). And I wanted that Sindy set!"