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What happened to model Lara Bingle and where is she now?

Lara Bingle burst onto the scene in 2006 with six little words: “Where the bloody hell are you?” But now it’s her fans wondering what the model is up to now.

Fifteen years after that slogan launched her career, Bingle, now 36, has evolved from a controversial model to a thriving entrepreneur.

And following a big move with her husband Sam Worthington and three sons to the US, the former Aussie ‘It girl’ is ushering in a new era – and she’s happy to share it all with her massive social media following.

Here’s a look at where she has been and where she is now. 

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Lara Bingle
Lara Bingle skyrocketed to fame in 2006. (Instagram)

Where is Lara Bingle now?

After living in the US for the last few years, Lara Bingle now often jets back to her home in Australia – the very stomping ground that launched her career.

She and Sam, along with their three young sons Rocket, Racer and River, split their time between New York City and Australia.

Lara Bingle through the years: 2006 to 2023

Back in 2006, the model became the most talked-about woman in the country when she uttered the words, “Where the bloody hell are you?” in a Tourism Australia advertising campaign, while dressed in a bikini. And with that, she became a household name.

Her modelling career would soon see her travelling across the globe, and it was one fateful day in New York’s Central Park she met her now-husband, Avatar star Sam Worthington.

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Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now, Baby2Baby Gala, LA November 11, 2017
The model and husband Sam Worthington in 2017. (Getty)

The pair had been living in LA since 2013 with their three children and only recently returned to Sydney in January 2021. But it seems Bingle – who was born and raised in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla – was always going to call Australia home. 

“There is an optimism and positivity that is so uniquely Australian,” she told Vogue Living back in 2019. “The minute I get on a plane towards Sydney I feel it. And of course the beaches, I feel most myself in the sun, by the beach.” 

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One month after her return to Australia, Bingle was already in high demand. She is now the new face of Aussie swimwear brand Seafolly, appearing in an ad filmed on the beach that echoes her original Tourism Australia ad campaign. Last month, she was also seen modelling for local skincare brand Emma Lewisham.

As of 2024, Bingle is active on Instagram and often shares snaps from her modelling jobs, life as a mum and jet-setting between NYC and Sydney to her 1.7 million followers.

In late 2023, she also spent New Year’s Eve in Japan.

How did Lara Bingle become famous?

Lara Bingle became famous after she appeared in the controversial “Where the bloody hell are you?” Tourism Australia ad campaign in 2006. So controversial was the commercial, it was deemed too risqué and banned in the UK.

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But that didn’t stop her from landing modelling gigs and appearing in TV shows in Australia.

Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now
Lara’s career started after her stint in a Tourism Australia ad. (Tourism Australia)

That same year, she was one of many celebrities who appeared on Nine’s Dancing On Ice variety program, on which she came runner-up in the competition.

She also then promoted Nine’s coverage of the Ashes, while dressed in cricket pads and a bikini.

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Endorsements soon followed for Bingle, who became the face of ROC Eyewear in 2011, Vodafone in 2008 and she also modelled for Speedo that same year.

Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now
Laura Bingle performing at the Dancing On Ice tourin Birmingham, 2007. (Getty)

In 2012, she even starred in her own reality TV show, Being Lara Bingle. The series ran for 10 episodes but was not renewed for a second season. 

In 2014, Bingle launched her own tanning range The Base by Lara Bingle, which has since rebranded to Share The Base and evolved into a skincare line.

Now a not-for-profit enterprise, Share The Base donates 100 per cent of its net proceeds to selected Australian charity partners.

Is Lara Bingle married?

Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now
The star even had her own reality TV show at one stage. (Getty)

Lara Bingle is married to Aussie actor Sam Worthington. The couple secretly tied the knot in December 2014, just before the New Year. Bingle reportedly wore a white Louis Vuitton gown and was six months pregnant with the couple’s first child at the time. 

The model has since changed her name to Lara Worthington following their wedding. 

“I said, ‘Mum, I’m going to get married.’ And she was like, ‘What? You’ve just met this guy,'” Lara previously revealed on The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

“It normally takes a long time for me to trust, but we did [get married].

“It was very intimate, we just popped into Melbourne where Sam’s family’s from and there was just our family – less than 10 people.”

“I said, ‘Mum, I’m going to get married.’ And she was like, ‘What? You’ve just met this guy’.” (Getty)

The couple were married one year after their first meeting.

“We were both at a festival in Central Park in New York,” she added.

“I was there for a Cotton On event, and he was there with a few of his friends…he was with Butler. What’s his first name? Gerard Butler.”

How many kids does Lara Bingle have?

Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington have three children together: sons Rocket, eight, Racer, seven, and River, three.

The model has been protective of her family and never publicly confirmed her pregnancies or the births of her children until months later. In fact, it was only last month she revealed the name of her youngest son. 

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Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now
(Getty)

In a previous interview with Marie Claire, Bingle said that she and Worthington loved having a full house filled with children. 

“We work together really well– it gets better and better, to be honest,” she told the magazine.

“I think that’s why we keep having more kids because it’s a very enjoyable family. We’re happy, and the kids are happy, and Sam is super present.”

This kid is now one of the most famous athletes in Australia

What is Lara Bingle’s net worth? 

Thanks to her modelling gigs, countless magazine covers and aforementioned endorsements with ROC Eyewear, Vodafone and Speedo, as of 2020 Bingle was worth a reported US$6 Million (approx. $7.7 million).

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Lara Bingle, model, what happened, what is she doing now
Lara Bingle arrives for the Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless, Female Awards at Sydney Cafe in 2008. (Getty)

Prior to moving back to Sydney, Bingle and husband Sam Worthington reportedly placed their LA home on the market for $12.5 million. The Cape Cod-style five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home was built just five years ago and is minutes from LA’s famous Sunset Strip.

Worthington – who is best known for his roles in Avatar, Terminator Salvation and Clash of the Titans – is worth a reported US$30 million (approx. $38.7 million). 

What is Lara Bingle’s dating history? 

Before Bingle married Sam Worthington, she was linked to a string of high-profile men.

Her most notable relationship was with Aussie cricketer Michael Clarke and the glamorous couple were dubbed Australia’s answer to Posh and Becks.

The couple reportedly met in 2007, after meeting on the set of Dancing on Ice and one year later they were engaged. 

They celebrated their engagement at a party in Sydney’s Luna Park but their happiness was short-lived when the couple called it quits two years later in 2010.

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Michael Clarke, Lara Bingle on March 11, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle in 2010 in Sydney. (Getty)

At one point it was rumoured Bingle flushed her $200,000 ring down the toilet after their split.

Two years after their breakup, Bingle told the Sydney Morning Herald the split was the wake-up call she needed. 

“If I stayed with Michael, I would not be the person I am today,” she said.

“Everything was given to me on a silver platter, I had no moral values, I was not a nice person. I had a money tree out the back, clothes, cars, everything was [too] easy… but now I put it all in perspective.”

Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola reportedly dated Lara Bingle in 2006. (Getty)

The couple was involved in a scandal just before their split. At the time, a near-naked photograph of the model in the shower circulated online, believed to have been snapped by her ex-boyfriend, Brendan Fevola.

The AFL star apparently took the photo during their brief relationship in 2006 and then allegedly leaked the pic online in 2010.  

Her agent at the time, Max Markson, said the photo was taken “without consent, without permission and totally without taste” when Bingle was just 19.

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Danny Cipriani, Twickenham Stadium on May 31, 2015 in London, England.
Lara Bingle was also linked to British rugby player Danny Cipriani. (Getty)

Fevola was later cleared over the scandal, with the AFL ruling there was “insufficient evidence” showing he distributed the photograph.

Bingle was also rumoured to have dated Sydney nightclub identity John Ibrahim, Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis and US rapper Jason Derulo and British rugby player Danny Cipriani.

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