Celebrity friends remain silent as tycoon risks losing star touch
SIMON COWELL has not spoken to Sir Philip Green in more than three years, friends said last night, as celebrities linked to the businessman named as being at the centre of Britain’s Metoo scandal declined to back him.
Cowell and Sir Philip were close friends, and in 2010 announced they were going into business together, although they are not believed to have gone through with the plans.
Sources close to Cowell said the music mogul and X Factor boss had lost respect for the retail tycoon over his handling of the collapse of BHS.
Kate Moss, who has worked with Sir Philip on Topshop lines, was photographed at Heathrow Airport yesterday but said nothing about the furore.
Representatives for the supermodel did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did those for Rita Ora, the singer, who was pictured at Milan Airport. There was also no reply from the agent of Cara Delevingne, the model turned actress who became the face of Topshop in 2014 and who last year claimed to have been sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein.
It was the same story from those representing the models Naomi Campbell and Suki Waterhouse and actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller, Kate Hudson and Kate Bosworth – despite them having spoken out against sexual harassment in the Weinstein scandal.
Sir Philip is most closely associated with Ms Moss, whom he met at a charity auction at Annabel’s nightclub in 2006, where he successfully bid £60,000 for a kiss from her, before giving it away to Jemima Khan.
The pair, who are both from Croydon, formed a friendship that culminated in her signing a three-year deal thought to be worth more than £3million to design clothes for Topshop.
She also helped launch a branch of the store in New York alongside Sir Philip, and they appeared together regularly at catwalks and fashion launches.
Ms Campbell has also been a regular at Sir Philip’s lavish parties, having been pictured posing with the businessman and his family at functions.
Ms Paltrow was a guest at his 60th birthday party in 2012, and has been spotted enjoying dinners in London with the retailer.
Rihanna, the singerr, performed at a joint birthday party for Sir Philip’s daughter Chloe and nephew Matt. But things turned sour between them after Rihanna won a landmark case stopping Topshop from selling T-shirts with her face on them.