LARA: 'I'M GLAD THE CAMERAS ARE GONE!'

Fresh from her holiday in Thailand with boyfriend Gareth Moody, Lara Bingle turns up to our photo shoot at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in Sydney's Bondi Beach sporting an amazing tan. And she's five minutes early! In celeb land, that's unheard of.

She doesn't have a ring on that finger after her romantic getaway, and when asked, Lara just laughs and shakes her head. So much for that psychic in India predicting she'd be married by September!

Sitting down with the beautiful ice-blue-eyed blonde, we chat about her life after her reality show Being Lara Bingle - and how her boyfriend Gareth keeps her fit! And no, we don't mean like that...

You've moved out of your Bondi Beach flat - how does it feel being back in the 'hood?
I miss the beach, but I haven't missed living on set. My life is so crazy, it's nice to go home and just relax and not have the cameras around.

Has it been hard seeing yourself on TV?
It's been confronting but it's made me more aware of myself and how I act.There were times where I wish I reacted to some situations differently. I often smile at inappropriate times. It's a nervous reaction for me.

You've copped flak for the show. Was it worth it?
Yeah! I get criticism regardless if I have a show, but the show puts a emphasis on that there are always two sides to every story.

How do you deal with the negativity?
I don't - I just keep doing what I love! I have a pretty blessed life because I get to do what I love. I just focus on the good stuff!

Have people seen the real Lara now?
Yep, what was portrayed is the person I am. It wasn't scripted, it as real, my friends and family were on it and I didn't have any edit control.

Do you think the show has helped your career?
Throughout the show I worked with some great brands and publications, and according to my managers, there's been a spike in interest for me. I think, in Australia, people can be a bit apprehensive to say yes to someone like me who they might consider a risk, but the show has shown me in a good and real light, and has humanised me!

Will there be a second season?
Maybe. Fingers crossed!

What's next for you?
I'm working on an apparel range, which I'm launching mid next year. I can't wait! It's been a long time in the making. It will be a dream come true for me!

Are you happy with your body right now?
I've been working hard and eating well. I put on about eight kilos last year, and I've got a bit more to shed. But I'm happy with my body!

How are you planning on shedding those last kilos?
Consistency! I have a tendency to get off the train, so I'm just going to keep going. I'm going to eat right, train hard - every day!

What's your fitness routine?
I do power yoga four days a week and cardio - running or walking - three days a week, and some weights in the gym.

What about your diet?
I've done juice detoxes in the past as well as eliminating carbs, sugar and dairy from my diet. I like to keep it interesting! But generally my diet consists of proteins, greens and a little bit of fruit.

What have you learned about diet and fitness through your years as a model?
When I was younger, I could eat whatever I wanted. But I'm not that girl anymore, and as I've got older I've realised I have to work hard and eat right to maintain a tight physique. I remember when I first stopped eating bread, it was the hardest thing! But you get over that, and it's obviously part of my job. If I don't look great, it affects my work.

Do you weight yourself? 
Not really. It's not about the scales, it's about your proportions!

Which celeb has the best body?
Jessica Alba, Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot - they all look amazing and have curves. Women should look like women and be proud of their curves. You don't have to be stick thin to be beautiful! I'm blessed to have curves, and I want to keep them, so I don't want to lose too much weight. I just want to be toned!

Do you lose or gain weight in a relationship?
Definitely lose, especially with Gareth! He's a fitness fanatic and eats really well - and he looks so good! He's my inspiration! During our holiday we were really active, we kayaked 20km and went rock climbing. He's also a great cook and he cooks for me - healthy stuff, of course! My other boyfriend Max May has a great body, too. I can't let them win now, can I?

Source: NW Magazine

LARA: DAVID JONES S/S 2012/13 SEASON LAUNCH - ARRIVALS

Wearing: Dion Lee

Source: Zimbio
Event Date: 14th August 2012

FOR THE LOVE OF LARA

Our favourite model, reality-TV star and It girl chats to Cosmo about life, love and Being Lara Bingle

Congratulations on the TV show. Did you ever expect that people would be talking about it so much?
Thank you. No it's kind of surreal. It's like I'm watching a home video!

You seem to cop your fair share of criticism. How do you handle it?
If I was reading everything about my life, good and bad, I wouldn't be doing a show like this. It's a bit confronting at times, but positive and negative comments really do mean the same to me now. It is what it is. If I'm happy, and I'm getting to do what I love and believe in, then the rest is kind of irrelevant.

How has the show affected your relationship with your boyfriend, fashion designer Gareth Moody?
He's not a part of the show, so it hasn't really. He has his own life and does his own thing. And that's what's nice about it - it's refreshing. My previous relationships were so intense and full-on because there was that extra pressure of being in the spotlight. He's one of the most private people I've met, and I respect that a lot.

How do you guys make it work when your schedules are so busy?
I don't know, to tell you the truth, but we do! He travels a lot too. You just make it work; if you want to, you do. Even if I just have half an hour spare, I'll drop in and have a coffee. You make time for the people you care about.

What about your relationship with your mum? How would you describe it?
Oh God… It's complicated at times. We love each other a lot, but sometimes we butt heads on certain things - we're both strong characters! I travel so much and then I'll come home and be like, "Can I have a home-cooked dinner?" or "Can you do my washing?" - you know, things that daughters do. She takes it in her stride a lot, but sometimes she can get a bit upset and emotional about me coming in and out. We aren't perfect - but who is?

Your style has evolved a lot. Do you ever look back and regret what you've worn?
Yep! There have been dresses that I probably wouldn't wear now. The thing with my style is, I worked with Christine Centenera for a long time, and she dresses a certain way; I found I was very much dressing like her. I definitely learnt a lot from her, but when I started to dress myself, it was like an extension of my personality. I'm working with a new stylist, now Mikey, who's great.

Name your five must-have wardrobe items.
A plain black blazer, a white T-shirt or singlet, leather pants, a white button-up shirt and a leather jacket.

What's your daily diet and exercise regime like?
I just eat really well during the week and then on Sunday, within reason, I'll have a meal or two off. I have that constant battle with food like any girl. I put on a lot of weight last year, and I think that was due to stress - so I've been training hard and eating right.

Your skin is always glowing. What do you use?
I use rosehip oil at night and a La Mer hydrating paste in the morning. I also like Dove tinted moisturiser and M.A.C Face and Body Foundation.

What can you see yourself doing in five years' time?
I'll be 30 by then, so I don't know - maybe I'll be married! And being more of a businesswoman myself, rather than the face of a company. I want to do something that's some kind of an achievement in my own right. Watch this space.

Source: Cosmopolitan Australia
Published Date: 10th August 2012

LARA'S NEW FOCUS

Lara Bingle yesterday spoke out about parting ways with major sponsor ROC Eyewear.

Through her manager Chrissy Biasotto, the model maintained that a Twitter photo of herself wearing designer sunglasses did not spell the end for her relationship with the brand.

"The contract with ROC finished on April 30 and the photo was taken a month later," Biasotto said.

"Lara loved working with ROC and hopes to again in the future. She is at liberty to wear whatever sunglasses she likes."

Update: An item published in Sydney Confidential concerned Lara Bingle's sponsorship with ROC Eyewear.

Any inference that the relationship was terminated by ROC after Lara was seen in Karen Walker sunglasses should not have been drawn.

The Daily Telegraph apologises to Ms Bingle.

Source: The Daily Telegraph
Published Date: 2nd August 2012

BIGGER, BOLDER: LARA 2.0

She rose to fame at 17, was engaged to one of Australia’s most famous sportsmen at 19, broken-hearted at 22 and has had more photo scandals than any 25-year-old deserves.

It hasn’t always been easy being Lara Bingle.

Now with a quarter century under her belt the sunny, goofy (ridiculously pretty) all-Australian blonde has big plans for re-invention and business success. “I've had my share of ups and downs" she says "I’ve learned a lot in the last 12 months and I finally feel ready to get on with it and work hard.”

Phase one is a determination to reinvigorate her modelling career "Sports Illustrated has always been my dream" she says "People forget that I've been a model since I was 15, I lived in Milan - modelling is my passion." So, it appears, is fashion. Bingle has an eponymous apparel range on the horizon for next year. “I'm trying to create a personal brand. I really admire Elle Macpherson. I look at all she's achieved and I've set that as a goal - if I'm lucky I just might get there.”

Lara has shown an honest vulnerability in the premiere season of her reality show (Being Lara Bingle) letting the cameras into her day-to-day life but were there any areas of her life that were off-bounds ? “It was a big decision to do the show. I'd been asked before but this year it felt right. There were a couple of things that I decided I needed to keep sacred (for me) like my boyfriend. If I've learned anything it's the importance of having a safe private space." Would she consider a second series? "It’s been a good experience – so sure I would".

Eternally positive, Bingle is determined to use her second chance wisely. "I realise now just how fortunate I am. I'm wiser. You know I have a great life, I'm really appreciative and I'm going to make the most of it".

Video Interview

Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Published Date: 30th July 2012

LARA LOVES WINTER

Describe yourself in three words?
Spontaneous, loving and happy.

What can't you travel without?
I am obsessed with capturing everything! I was recently given the amazing Canon G1X Powershot Camera, which is my new traveling companion.

What are the top 5 winter beauty staples?
Dove tinted moisturizer in Honey, NARS bronzer in Laguna, organic cold-pressed coconut oil, La Mer lip conditioner and Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray

What are your 4 must-have items that you'd pack for a winter holiday in New Zealand?
Mons Royal thermals, Smith goggles, Kiehl's moisturizer and leather gloves.

What has been your favourite winter fashion item this season?
My ELLERY Wool Alpaca jacket has been keeping me warm all winter - it's beautiful grey, black and white tones mean I can wear it with pretty much anything.

Are you still a Kiwi Sceptic, or has New Zealand won you over?
You're going to have to check out my experience at kiwisceptics.com to see what impression NZ left with me!

Tune into www.kiwisceptics.com to watch why New Zealand made a lasting impression on Lara Bingle.

Source: Cosmopolitan Australia
Published Date: 25th July 2012

LARA BINGLE PROMOTES NEW ZEALAND

She rose to fame in Tourism Australia's controversial Where the bloody hell are you? ads, but now Lara Bingle has turned her back on her homeland and is promoting New Zealand instead.



The model and reality TV star appears in the latest instalment of Air New Zealand's Kiwi Sceptics campaign, which is designed to change perceptions of The Land of the Long White Cloud in Australian who have never been there before.

While Bingle said it was a bit "weird'' to be promoting another country, she said her attitude was "the more the merrier''.

"It's close to Australia so it's not like promoting India,'' she said.

"It's somewhere that represents me - I'm kind of that tomboy girl and I went heli-boarding and stayed in an igloo.''

Bingle said the experience was "completely different'' to the one she had filming of the Where the bloody hell are you? campaign in Queensland's Whitsundays.

"I love going to the snow and snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding,'' she said.

"It's nice to represent other parts of the world.

"The association is so nice for me instead of just fashion and beauty - it's something different and I love travelling.

"I got to travel with Tourism Australia and now I'm travelling with Air New Zealand.''

But Bingle said she wouldn't forget where she started.

"Tourism Australia helped me get to where I am today obviously... and it's definitely going to stick with me for the rest of my life,'' she said.

"When I went to New Zealand that's where the people there knew me from.

"I just never really thought much of New Zealand until I went. Now I'm planning another trip there.''

Bingle was paired with Kiwi guide Hayley Holt - also a former WAG and reality show star - as she explored Queenstown and surrounds.

As well as heli-boarding near Wanakasleeping in a snow cave halfway up a mountain at The Remarkables she appears snowboarding at Coronet Peak.

The six-minute video is narrated by Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby.

The trip, which can be seen at www.kiwisceptics.com, will feature in next week's episode of the Network Ten series of Being Lara Bingle.

A Tourism Australia spokesman said as a rule it doesn't comment on other country's tourism campaigns, preferring to focus instead on its own.

"The latest phase of our There's nothing like Australia campaign allows Australia to speak for itself and the approach is proving a huge global success, with the new ad being viewed 20 million times already since being launched just over six weeks ago,'' he said.

"New Zealand remains Australias largest international visitor arrival market, and with almost 1.2 million Kiwis visiting our shores last year, we think we're doing a pretty good job of getting Australia's message out to the world, including across the ditch.''

Source: Herald Sun
Published Date: 24th July 2012

LARA: GQ MAGAZINE

We’ve all got a better idea of what it’s like being Lara Bingle, since her reality show began. Now our exclusive photos can reveal the naked truth of Lara Bingle.

The cameramen jostle for position. The sound guy adjusts his mic. There’s hair and makeup and a producer handing out release-waivers like coupons. But it’s all just another day at the office for Lara Bingle, the girl we first met as a beaming 17-year-old, asking us all where the bloody hell we were. Since then, hers has been a life measured out in tabloid ink, footage and photographs. Some good, some bad, some downright ugly. And now she’s back with Network Ten’s Being Lara Bingle.

But whether it’s the Kardashians, the Osbournes or any other celeb du jour, surely we’ve been here before. Same circus, different clowns. Right? Well, not exactly. Khloe or Kim she is not. As Bingle, now 25, assumes the makeup chair and sips on a skim latte, she’s all smiles and small talk and — considering the first interview of the day dragged her into a miserable winter morning at 4.30am — remarkably bubbly.

So what’s it really like being a reality TV star? A life of glamorous photo shoots and champagne soirees? Or one big pain in the arse? We got the girl from the Sutherland Shire to spill the beans on what life as a celebrity has taught her.

Don’t expect a day off.
“It’s intense. They’re filming 10 hours a day, seven days a week and we only get a 22-minute show. I was trying to find my feet at the beginning but I’m pretty comfortable with it now.”

Embrace the paparazzi.
“The paparazzi have a job just as much as I do and I’ve learnt to go with it — it’s the nature of the beast, it comes with the territory. I tried to fight it for a very long time and it just got me nowhere.”

Read the full article in GQ's August.September 2012 issue, on sale Monday 23rd July.