* Supermodel Naomi Campbell's soap-opera life took another dramatic turn after the weekend drama which saw her taken to hospital in the Canary Islands only hours after a blazing row in a five-star hotel with her gypsy flamenco dancer boyfriend, Joaquin Cortes. It was only the latest in the tempestuous saga of the 27-year-old model's life.

Since she was discovered 11 years ago, she has dated a string of trophy men, including Eddie Murphy, Robert de Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Eric Clapton and Mike Tyson. She broke off her engagement with U2 bass player Adam Clayton among reports of his shenanigans with escort agency girls, while an unauthorised biography reported suicide attempts after lovers' tiffs, a taped telephone dirty talk with Sylvester Stallone and a feud with a rival black model, Tyra Banks.

In 1993, she was fired by a top modelling agency after its boss described her as ``a manipulative, scheming, rude and impossible little madam who has treated us and our clients like dirt.'' At times the drama turned into a farce when she fell off her 10-inch Vivienne Westwood platform shoes at a Paris show or was sacked as ambassador for an animal rights group after participating in a fashion show in fur. And most recently, she complained of racism in the modelling world. For the moment, Campbell is back on the Paris catwalk and will probably come up with another headline-making escapade soon.

Blonde ambition

* Linda Lampenius, a 27-year-old Finnish virtuoso violinist, bears an uncanny resemblance to Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson. And though she may have turned down a part offered to her in the hit American series, she has not lost the opportunity to capitalise not only on her talents, but also on her sex appeal, to market herself. In that she has joined a string of classically trained musicians who have cashed in on their physical assets, including violinist Vanessa Mae, who was filmed wading through the sea in a clinging transparent dress and German musician Anne-Sophie Mutter, who is often photographed in revealing outfits.

She was virtually unknown until last autumn when, in a televised performance with the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, the programme's director refused to move his camera away from her, and the nation was gripped. And her strategy seems to be working as she received rave reviews for her up-tempo version of Bach's Toccata and Fugue. Still, if it doesn't work out, she does have other plans.

``I am still finding time for my other interests such as boxing, motor-racing, acting and getting involved in local politics,'' she says.

Making no mistakes

* Ann Iverson, chief executive of fashion house Laura Ashley, is in trouble. Iverson, who had won praise for turning around the British clothes chains Mothercare and British Homes Stores, had taken on a tough task when she accepted the top job at Laura Ashley two years ago. Her job was to restore the fading fortunes of a company bogged down in out-dated floral frocks, chintz curtains and taffeta ballgowns and in return, she got a multi-million pound pay-deal that branded her the first female fat cat. Iverson, the fourth boss the company has had since 1990, completely revamped its image.

The floral patterns and leg-of-mutton ballgowns were ditched in favour of modern classics. Her US campaign carried the slogan: ``Laura Ashley -- say it without flowers''. Everything went according to plan and the -- 16 million profit the company turned in last year was the best since 1989. But two months ago, Iverson was forced to admit that the group had bought too much stock and hadn't opened enough new stores to sell them. It was a --4 million mistake, but because it can't cope with the stocks, it wiped --100 million off the company's value. Shareholders have given Iverson four months to set things straight and Iverson cannot afford another mistake.

End of the affair

* Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow, Hollywood's coolest couple, have shocked tinseltown by announcing their decision to split. Pitt and Paltrow, who met on the sets of the hit film Seven, had announced their engagement last autumn and unlike other famous couples, seemed genuinely in love. The couple, however, spent much of their romance apart. Pitt has just finished work in Argentina for the film Seven Years in Tibet, while Paltrow, who shot to fame with Emma last year, has just finished shooting in London for a film version of Great Expectations. Pitt is alleged to have felt hemmed in by Paltrow, while contrary rumours have suggested that he bombarded her with marriage proposals and she had been reluctant to commit herself.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.