Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead has finally addressed the scandal that exploded across social media after two London bakers accused her of asking for luxury cakes in exchange for “exposure” — with the reality star now admitting she was “completely at fault” in one case.
The TV personality found herself at the centre of a viral backlash last month after bakery owner Reshmi Bennett, who runs luxury cake company Anges de Sucre, publicly shared messages allegedly sent by Binky’s team requesting a bespoke birthday cake for her son Wilder in return for Instagram promotion instead of payment.
The controversy quickly spiralled after another baker from Funfetti London came forward with her own claims, accusing Binky of “ghosting” her after she created both a wedding cake and birthday cake for free back in 2021.
Now speaking publicly for the first time, Binky admitted the scandal has taken a huge emotional toll and revealed she even received death threats following the backlash.
In an interview with The Sun, the former reality star insisted she did not regret asking whether the birthday cake could be gifted, saying this type of collaboration is common practice in the influencer industry. However, she acknowledged that many people were upset for understandable reasons.
Binky said while gifting arrangements are widely used in her world, that “doesn’t automatically make it fair,” especially for small independent businesses carrying major costs.
She admitted she fully understood the frustration and added that even if something is considered “standard practice,” it still needs to be handled carefully and respectfully.
The most damaging accusations came from the owner of Funfetti London, who alleged that Binky personally contacted her in 2021 after complimenting her cakes on Instagram before requesting both a wedding cake and birthday cake in exchange for social media promotion and a mention in her Hello! magazine wedding coverage.
According to the baker, she agreed because she believed the exposure could transform her small side business.
She later claimed Binky promised Instagram tags and further promotion, but despite months of follow-up messages, nothing materialised.
The baker also alleged she asked only for travel expenses — £25 for the birthday cake delivery and £50 for the wedding cake — but was told Binky “wanted everything inclusive” because she normally charged “£2k for a story and £5k for a grid post.”
In her emotional viral post, the baker admitted she felt “young and naive” at the time and said she took unpaid leave from work to personally construct the multi-tier wedding cake at Binky’s home during a heatwave.
She wrote that she genuinely believed the opportunity might help grow her business, only to later realise that “exposure doesn’t pay bills.”
Binky has now admitted she failed to deliver the agreed social media rollout and confirmed she has since arranged payment for the wedding cake.
Meanwhile, Reshmi Bennett’s original “cakegate” post also gained massive attention online after she shared screenshots allegedly showing Binky’s PA requesting a “gifted” yellow train-themed birthday cake with an Instagram collaboration offered in return.
The bakery owner even created a spoof GoFundMe page jokingly asking for £1.4 million — matching Binky’s reported net worth and massive online following — in a sarcastic swipe at influencer culture.
At the time, a representative for Binky insisted the enquiry was a “standard contra request” commonly used within the industry and said the reality star herself had not been directly involved in the email exchanges.
Still, the scandal sparked fierce debate online about influencer culture, unpaid creative labour, and whether social media “exposure” should ever replace proper payment for small businesses.
