Binky Felstead will return the £3,000 she was paid to promote children’s charity Barnardo’s.
The ‘Made In Chelsea’ star – whose real name is Alexandra Felstead – came under fire after it was revealed she had received the sum to front a campaign for the organisation. In an attempt to attract more people to follow the aid charity on its social networking site and visit their UK stores the 24-year-old beauty took to her Instagram account to share a picture of herself holding up a sign which asked her 639,000 followers to follow the official Barnardo’s Instagram account.
The caption read: "Something special happening with @barnardosretailtoday … Follow their account and watch this space! (sic)"
However, Binky has now agreed to return the money after she and the charity were criticised for making the deal on social media.
According to the Independent newspaper, a spokesperson for the star said: "We can confirm that Binky has agreed to waive her £3,000 fee. Her decision to work with Bernardo’s was always for good intentions. She was offered this fee to front a campaign. However, her intention has always been to give the entire fee back to the charity in some way."
Barnardo’s – which supports vulnerable children – also released a statement insisting it "does not usually pay celebrities" who work with them and took a "business decision" to acquire the reality star’s support.
The organisation said: "Barnardo’s retail shops are part of the charity’s trading arm and as such operate in a commercial environment.
"We are soon to launch a new campaign to encourage much-needed donations to our shops.
"We took a business decision to acquire the support of Alexandra Felstead to bring the appeal to a new and wider audience. We expect the campaign to increase donations significantly and will be monitoring its impact on our sales.
"Barnardo’s does not usually pay celebrities who support our work with the most vulnerable children across the UK."
Binky Felstead to return £3000 to charity
