Campbell Curbs Anger

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/03/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Supermodel Naomi Campbell blames her anger, which at times has made headlines, on her father, who abandoned her before she was born, and her mother, who worked long hours so Naomi could go to private schools for the performing arts. "There (are) a lot of issues that I have from childhood," Campbell, 30, told Barbara Walters in an interview that will air on ABC's "20/20 Friday." "For instance, not knowing your father, not seeing your mother. It manifests a lot of feelings. One of those feelings is anger." In February, Campbell plead guilty in a Canadian court to assaulting an ex-assistant with a telephone, while another ex-employee has accused Campbell of pushing her into a wall. Campbell (who showed up one hour late for the TV interview, according to Walters) said that she has since learned to control her anger -- which is "based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness" -- through treatment in an American clinic.