Naomi Campbell 'scolded for being late' to set of Absolutely Fabulous

'Maybe in her past, nobody’s ever asked her to be on time,' recollects Jennifer Saunders

The pair recalled Kate Moss being on the set too (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images))

Joanna Lumley has recalled a time she says Naomi Campbell was almost dismissed for being three hours late to the set of Absolutely Fabulous.

The Absolutely Fabulous star said the 46-year-old supermodel was warned she would be sent home if she was late again while starring in an episode of the hugely popular sitcom back in the 1990s.

Lumley, 70, cast her mind back to the anecdote while promoting the 2016 movie of the iconic sitcom.

Speaking to Page Six, Lumley recollected a stern floor manager telling Campbell: “You’re working with a lot of very professional actresses. They all pitched up on time, and they know their lines. Darling, you’ll do that tomorrow, or you’re out.”

Fortunately, Campbell took heed of the warning and showed up at 9am the following day.

“So maybe in her past, nobody’s ever asked her to be on time — they just expected her to be a diva,” her co-actor Jennifer Saunders chipped in.

A representative pointed out the reported incident happened over 20 years ago and told The Independent: “Naomi is a consummate professional.”

Campbell plays herself in the episode which is now 20 years old. She is seated next to Patsy and Eddy at an awards' dinner in which Eddy loses a prize of best PR consultant to her rival Claudia Bing even though she has bribed the judging panel.

Saunders reprises her role of Eddy while Lumley plays Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie which came out at the beginning of July.

The pair recalled Kate Moss being on the set too, saying that when staff brought her blankets and tea following her infamous drowning appearance, she told them, “Listen, if this was a photo shoot, they’d just say, ‘Stop f *****g shivering!’”