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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Bonnie McLaren

Naomi Campbell makes surprise appearance at Usher's sold-out O2 gig

Naomi Campbell was a surprise guest at Usher’s sold-out O2 gig last night.

The supermodel, 54, strutted around the stage in a glittering mini dress, while the R&B star was wearing a huge fur coat.

Campbell and Usher are pals, with Usher telling CONTACTMUSIC.com in 2005 they were just “close friends” following rumours they’d dated.

Fans who were at the concert were also going wild for Campbell’s cameo on social media.

One fan wrote: “usher brought naomi campbell out for bad girl and it just made so much sense!”

Another said: “Seeing the one and only Naomi Campbell has made my 2025. Usher, thank you very much.”

“The Usher show was amazing! Wow a BALL was HAD,” one added.

“The production, his Charisma and music catalogue is unmatched. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And to top it off Usher brought out Naomi Campbell.”

(Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images For Usher)

Usher - whose full name is Usher Terry Raymond IV - began his Past, Present, Future Tour in August and performed his first London gig, the first of a 10-night residency, on Saturday night.

Reviewing the first night of his ten-night residency at the O2, Christine Ochefu wrote for The Standard: “Notably an Energizer bunny of a performer, he proceeds to spend slightly over two hours in constant motion, skills speaking to an era where vocals were performed sans backing track, and singers honed breath control on treadmills.”

Giving the performance five stars, she concluded: “High sex factor can be an iffy concept to pull off in this climate. But with Usher, it never feels creepy. The King of R&B harnesses sex appeal, but also personality and masterful performance to make us as audience feel like we’re in on it.

“As he closes on his David Guetta feature Without You (a questionable choice considering the power of previous track Yeah!) he reminds us that even after 30 plus years of relevancy, good performance will reign supreme.”

Usher performs on stage at The O2 Arena on March 29, 2025 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for USHER)

Campbell isn’t the only high profile fan of Usher - Sir Ian McKellen shared his surprising admiration for the singer by attending his party in London on Sunday.

Usher celebrated the start of his O2 residency by hosting an event with Spotify at The Box nightclub in Soho.

And the acting legend, 85, was among the famous faces who supported the R&B star, posing with theatre producer Simon Hammerstein at the bash.

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