Only a cad would call me a chocolate

Confectionery giant Cadbury has apologised to supermodel Naomi Campbell after she complained that an advert comparing her to a chocolate bar was racist.

The advert, which appeared in a national newspaper in the UK last week, showed a picture of a Dairy Milk Bliss chocolate bar on a bed of diamonds under the headline, "Move over, Naomi, there's a new diva in town".

Cadbury, which is owned by US company Kraft Foods, claimed that the advert was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Campbell's famous tantrums.

But the most successful black model of her generation refused to back down and demanded an apology.

"I am shocked," she said. "It's upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me, but for all black women and black people. I do not find any humour in this. It is insulting and hurtful."

On Friday, in the face of a threatened consumer boycott, Cadbury formally apologised.

A company spokesman said: "Cadbury understands that our latest advertising campaign for Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss caused upset to Naomi Campbell and her family.

"Cadbury takes its responsibility to consumers very seriously indeed, and we would never deliberately produce any marketing material we felt might cause offence to any section of society."

The spokesman added that it was not their intention to "offend Naomi, her family or anybody else, and we are sincerely sorry that it has done so".

The company has withdrawn the adverts and pledged not to use them again.

Campbell welcomed the apology, saying: "The advertisement was in poor taste on a number of levels, not least in the way they likened me to their chocolate bar. It is also a shame that it took so long for Cadbury to offer this apology."

She added that the company and others like it should also do more "by having greater diversity at board and senior management level".