Binky Felstead, star of Made in Chelsea, addresses the ‘cakegate’ controversy, admitting full responsibility for one incident and expressing understanding of public frustrations following severe backlash, including death threats.

The Spark of ‘Cakegate’

Reshmi Bennett, 42, owner of luxury cake business Anges de Sucre in London, recently shared screenshots on social media revealing exchanges with Felstead’s team. They requested a bespoke yellow train cake for her son Wilder’s third birthday in exchange for an Instagram post collaboration. Bennett, known for rejecting ‘exposure’ as payment, created a satirical GoFundMe page seeking £1.4 million—matching Felstead’s reported net worth—to highlight her stance.

The post gained massive traction online, drawing widespread criticism of influencer gifting practices.

Funfetti Bakery Owner’s Allegations

Following Bennett’s viral post, the owner of Funfetti cake shop detailed a similar experience from 2021. She claims Felstead messaged her via Instagram praising her cakes and requesting both a wedding cake and a birthday cake for her daughter, offering social media tags and a mention in her Hello! magazine wedding feature in return.

The baker, then running a side hustle, agreed despite sensing it was a freebie deal. She delivered the cakes, even assembling a nine-layer wedding cake in Felstead’s kitchen on a hot summer day, after Felstead refused to cover £75 in travel costs, citing her usual rates of £2,000 for a story and £5,000 for a grid post.

‘She reached out saying how beautiful my cakes were… Deep down I knew she wanted a freebie… but I was younger and naive,’ the Funfetti owner wrote. ‘I followed up multiple times—nothing. Exposure doesn’t pay bills.’

Felstead’s Response

Felstead acknowledges the emotional toll, including death threats amid the uproar. She defends requesting the cake from Bennett as standard industry practice in the influencer world, where small businesses often value the exposure.

However, she takes full blame for the Funfetti situation: ‘I am completely at fault’ for agreeing to a social media rollout that she failed to deliver and has since arranged payment for the wedding cake.

‘While gifting is common in my industry, that doesn’t automatically make it fair, especially for small businesses where costs really matter,’ Felstead stated. ‘Even if something is standard practice, it still needs to be handled thoughtfully. I do understand why people were frustrated.’