Lara Bingle (born 22 June1987, Yowie Bay, New South Wales) 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.

Television career

Bingle competed on the Nine Network's celebrity ice dancing show Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice, where she was eliminated 6th, and in the channel's parody ad for the 2006-2007 Ashes series.

Nine re-hired Bingle in 2008 as a reporter for a new travel show, "Holidays for Sale".

Professional controversies

In May 2006, Bingle took legal action against EMAP Australia, who allegedly published photographs of the model without her permission in the March 27 2006 issue of Australian lad's mag Zoo Weekly.^[1][2] Bingle claims that the magazine defamed her by implying she consented to pose for the magazine, which used photographs that were shot when she was an unknown model.^[3]

In late March 2007, nude photographs taken by celebrity photographer Gavin O'Neill appeared on the website of German GQ Magazine. Bingle's representatives claimed O'Neill misused the shots, taken when she was 18. O'Neill claimed the photographs were taken for the European market. ^[4]

Personal life

Brendan Fevola sex scandal

On September 28, 2006 Bingle appeared on the AFL Footy Show's Grand Final episode. On 12 December 2006 Melbourne's Seven News reported that Bingle was the 'other woman' involved in the breakdown of Carlton player Brendan Fevola's marriage.^[5] At the time Brendan's first child was 5 months old. Bingle claimed that the pair met during their appearance on the Footy Show and nowhere else. ^[6] The credibility of Bingle's public denial was dented with the release of a voicemail message allegedly sent to Fevola by Bingle on 11 December 2006 a day before the story broke in the media. ^[7] Further details of Bingle's relationship with Fevola emerged, including a final phone confrontation between Bingle and Fevola's wife.^[8]

Michael Clarke

On 8 January 2007 reports said that Bingle had a private party with Australian cricketer Michael Clarke^[9] over the previous weekend, after the Australian team's private victory party. On 10 January 2007, Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph indicated that Bingle may have been involved with Clarke as early as September 2006.^[10] On 25 March 2008 it was announced that the pair were engaged after Clarke proposed in New York's Central Park.^[11]

Backlash

Following the revelation of Bingle's relationships with Fevola and Clarke, Bingle was replaced as the 'Face of Australian Tourism' by Bindi Irwin^[12] with Bingle relegated to a minor role.

Family

Bingle's father Graham Bingle died on 10 May 2008 from liver and pancreatic cancer.^[13]

References

External links

• Bingle Blog
• australia.com TV ad
• Lara Bingle in the 2006 Ashes Ad
• Lara Bingle contestant page at Dancing on Ice
• ninemsn video - Lara Bingle and Matt Evers skate to Push the Button
• Footy Show video - on YouTube