Lara Worthington: ‘It’s not a man’s world anymore’
Now happily married and a mother of two, the woman formerly known as Lara Bingle has opened up in a frank interview about love, family, #MeToo and feminism.
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It’s five years since the model formerly known as Lara Bingle departed Australia, following a tumultuous few years when she was rarely out of the limelight.
Perhaps unfairly, her name became synonymous with controversy — whether it was the contentious Tourism Australia advertising campaign in 2006, her doomed engagement to former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke, a photo scandal involving footballer Brendan Fevola or her participation in the ill-advised reality TV series Being Lara Bingle.
The misfortune that surrounded her was all the more surprising because, well, she looked so angelic.
Lara Worthington, the woman now sitting with Stellar — reclining in a fluffy white robe as a make-up artist adds some sparkle to what are already preternaturally blue eyes in preparation for her cover shoot — couldn’t be more different to the girl whose life once made constant headlines.
Noticeably, she has none of the fear that was understandably so detectable during those difficult years. Now 31, she seems calm, purposeful and assured.
Worthington has been away from her family for five days. While she fulfils work commitments in Australia, her husband Sam has taken their sons, aged four and two, snowboarding in Colorado.
Not that she’s had much time to miss them — regular FaceTime updates do the trick. Asked how often they catch up for a chat, Worthington just laughs: “Oh, every hour.”
Worthington wishes she was with her boys, but she was born and raised near the beach just south of Sydney — so she doesn’t love the cold.
In any case, she says, Sam is completely capable of single-handedly wrangling two toddlers. Plus, the distance offers her an opportunity to examine her life from afar.
“When you’re there you are so in the moment and the day never stops. When you’re away, you have that moment to appreciate it.”
Even though she needs to strip down to her underwear while being photographed as part of a new Sheridan Sheets campaign, she exudes the same amount of confidence and ownership of her image as if she were lounging around in a power suit.
“I’ve been through so many phases in my life and I’ve learnt that the people you surround yourself with are so important,” she says. “Good people are my go-to. I’ve learnt that trusting people is imperative. I really value their opinions and take it all on board, and then develop my own thoughts and feelings.”
While increased maturity, the move to the US and becoming a mother were all instrumental to her newfound happiness and ease, meeting and marrying Avatar star Sam Worthington has not only infused her life with love but given her the stability she craved for so long.
“My husband really gives me this grounding and support,” she says. “He’s... what’s the right word? My anchor. He really calms me and makes me feel secure.
“I don’t have to put on any façade with him, and moving to America has meant we’re able to live a really normal life. In fact, he’s more normal than me. He’s the guy from Perth who drinks milk before he goes to bed!”
Clearly, the two are good for one another. In the early days of their relationship, Sam was charged with assault after punching a paparazzo who was pursuing her. (He received a conditional discharge.)
But in the years since their 2014 wedding, they’ve virtually disappeared from the radar, having opted for a quiet life and a limited social media presence.
“I do feel grateful to have met him,” confirms Worthington. “I think he would say that, too. From where he was until now, he’s a totally different person. Being a dad is his greatest role ever. He’s so present with his children and so giving.”
After years of gravitating towards the spotlight, Worthington consciously decided that privacy is paramount now she has a young family.
She didn’t publicise her pregnancies and felt no need to confirm the births or instantly release the names of her sons Rocket Zot, born in March 2015, and Racer, born in October 2016.
“I really take pride in protecting my family,” she tells Stellar. “It’s not just about me anymore. I have less of a voice and I’m happy about that because sometimes there’s too much talk.
“In fact, Sam doesn’t even have social media, and if mine was to go away tomorrow it wouldn’t leave an imprint on my life. All my friends are my real friends — I don’t need to talk to them through Instagram.”
But it’s a measure of her growing confidence that she’s happy to chat about family life, revealing that she’s the perfect choice to promote Sheridan’s Tonight Makes Tomorrow campaign because her attempts to get a good night’s sleep are often thwarted by the small people in her life.
“The boys are both out of their cribs. Often we end up with all four of us in the bed, because if one sees the other one is in with us, then they want to hop in too,” she says, laughing. “And you know kids — they sleep sideways!”
She’s a young mum who had both children by 30, but Worthington says she still gets tired. Yet it’s not enough to put her off having more kids.
“We would love a big family and I would definitely have more, but I just need a little break,” she says. “Some days are great, others are harder, but watching them grow up is the greatest thing.”
With her 32nd birthday approaching, Worthington has now spent half her life modelling, having left Australia for Italy at the age of 16.
Back then she lived in a share house full of international girls and had to travel across Milan to upwards of 10 castings a day. Looking back, she admits she and other girls were vulnerable in an industry which had yet to be exposed by the #MeToo movement.
She saw things that made her uncomfortable, but believes the environment has now changed. “The modelling industry has done a 360,” she says. “There’s more support from the agencies, models have more of a voice and the whole thing has shifted and progressed into something safer and more respectful.”
She cites Gigi Hadid as someone who has ensured today’s models are more empowered. “I’ve met her a bunch of times. It’s a different world. She’s so massive yet so lovely, so nice.”
Worthington does not like to discuss past relationships. But asked to ponder whether, nine years on, she might have received greater sympathy in a situation such as the Fevola incident — when the married AFL star sent his fellow players a topless shot of her taken without her consent during their brief affair and which she thought he had deleted — she is willing to reply.
“Yes. That’s why I get quietly excited and passionate about [#MeToo], because it’s part of my history and it comes from that place as well. We’ve progressed so much because where we are now and where we will be in years to come is a good place. Gone are the days it’s just a man’s world.”
Worthington considers herself a feminist and enjoys learning from and conversing with like-minded women.
She’s a fan of the writer, actor and director Lena Dunham and is friends with actress Zoe Saldana, who is vocal about the gender divide in Hollywood.
“I learn a lot and seek it out. It’s a good feeling. I find solace in people coming together and supporting each other.”
If marriage and motherhood have given Worthington stability, they’ve also afforded her a broader world view. The family has moved from New York to Los Angeles as Sam works on the Avatar sequels with director James Cameron who, along with his wife Suzy, has been influential on the young Australians.
For instance, the Worthingtons are pescatarians after the Camerons suggested they watch the documentary Forks Over Knives.
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They’re also committed to living a sustainable life by limiting their waste and use of plastic. “Every year, my husband’s boss gives us a Christmas present of plant-based products and reusable bottles and lunch boxes. We do as much as we can, wherever we can.”
It’s one of the reasons Worthington chose to work with Sheridan. “In addition to their long-term commitment to sustainability practices, their new Organics collection is wholly organic, creating quality products that last. The sheets come in little cotton bags, which I reuse rather than using plastic packaging.”
Worthington cooks for her sons — who also eat a largely plant-based diet — every night.
“Often it’s pasta, but they both eat different things. One loves greens and the other loves tomatoes.”
Later in an evening she says she also cooks for herself and Sam, most regularly a curry or grains with vegetables.
While she hasn’t ruled out returning to Australia, her enthusiasm for her adopted home is palpable.
“There’s still a lot of opportunity in America,” she says. “Sam’s been going there on and off for 20 years and it’s given him his whole life. He thinks of LA as his office and we love that the kids are American. Of course, there’s some hesitations, like guns and terrorism, but things happen everywhere.”
With that, Worthington is signalled that she’s needed back between the sheets. Before she goes, she says that she has remembered what she’s most missing about her boys.
“One thing my son does every morning is he comes in and opens the blinds and says that the sun’s up. Whether we’re in LA or in Europe, he does the same thing — even if it’s cloudy. Sam and I both laugh at it. I’m really missing that.”
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