Lara Bingle

Biography

Lara Bingle is an Australian model who is best known for appearing on Fingal Spit in the controversial 2006 Tourism Australia advertising campaign So where the bloody hell are you?, where she delivers this final line in the television commercial.

Bingle was born at Caringbah in Sydney's south, New South Wales. Her parents are Graham and Sharon Bingle, and she has an older brother named Joshua. During her childhood, Bingle stated she "Spent a lot of time at her local beach Cronulla, surfing with her father Graham," and describes her early life at the Australian beachside as "very grounding ... You could just be yourself." She graduated from St Vincent's College at Potts Point.

Career

After graduation, Bingle set off to live in Milan, Italy for over one year to pursue modelling. Bingle has been on the covers of OK! magazine, WHO magazine, NW, Famous, New Idea and Women's Day.

Bingle competed on the Nine Network's celebrity ice dancing show Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice, where she was the last girl to be eliminated, coming in sixth out of eight, and in the channel's ad for the 2006-2007 Ashes series. Nine re-hired Bingle in 2008 as a reporter for a new travel show, Holidays for Sale.

Bingle signed a one-year deal in 2008 with international phone company Vodafone as one of their official ambassadors. Bingle signed a three-year contract (2008–2011) with international icon swimwear label SPEEDO. She is currently the face of their new beach range, which is only exclusive to David Jones. Bingle signed up to Sydney's NIDA acting school to study in acting and presenting in 2008.

Controversies

In May 2006, Bingle took legal action against EMAP Australia, who allegedly published photographs of the model without her permission in the 27 March 2006 issue of Australian lad's mag Zoo Weekly. Bingle claims that the magazine defamed her by the way Zoo magazine had published the photos. On the 28 September 2006 Bingle made an appearance on the AFL Footy Show's Grand Final episode. On 12 December 2006 Melbourne's Seven News reported that Bingle was said to be the 'other woman' involved in the breakdown of Carlton player Brendan Fevola's marriage. Bingle and Fevola both claimed that the pair had only met once during their appearance on the Footy Show.

In late March 2007, topless photographs taken by celebrity photographer Gavin O'Neill for German GQ Magazine made a massive impact and caused the GQ website to crash.

On 2 March 2010, Bingle started legal proceedings to sue former boyfriend Brendan Fevola for breach of privacy, defamation and misuse of her image for the release of a nude photo taken in the shower from back when they were dating in 2006. The photo in question was published in Women's Day on 1 March 2010.

Personal Life

On the 10 January 2007, Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph claimed that Bingle and Australian cricket Vice Captain Michael Clarke were an item. On 25 March 2008 it was announced that the pair were engaged after Clarke proposed in New York. Bingle's father Graham Bingle died on 10 May 2008 from liver and pancreatic cancer. On February 12, 2009 Bingle actively participated in the 'Australia Unites' fundraiser to raise support for the victims of the Black Saturday bushfires on 7 February 2009.