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Being Binky
Welcome to the glamorous life of Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead, original cast member and star of the hit TV programme, Made in Chelsea. In this tell-all account she reveals what it's really like BEING BINKY and what it takes to be a real Chelsea Girl. When the show launched in 2011, Binky was catapulted from a nine to five job as a receptionist at a hedge-fund into the limelight of reality TV fame. She's experienced many ups and downs on the show, from feuding with best friend Cheska and a failed romance with Jamie Laing to her new found friendship with Lucy Watson and being swept off her feet by Alex Mytton, the impact of Made in Chelsea on her life was immediate. Charting her overnight rise to fame and exploring her life outside of Made in Chelsea, for the first time, Binky opens up about her childhood, the bullying she was victim to at school and the difficulties of dealing with her parents' divorce. She talks candidly about body image, and dieting, and shares her beauty regime top tips. BEING BINKY lifts the lid on one of the series' favourite characters and provides a backstage pass to the secret and exclusive world of Chelsea.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 25, 2019
I had a rubbish week and binged Made in Chelsea and I love Binky and wanted to hear more about her. I loved her book - it was exactly what I expected and it made my week a bit better. Totally non pretentious and weirdly like chatting to a friend. 😊
June 11, 2014
I make no bones about the fact that I love a bit of reality TV, and Made in Chelsea is possibly my favourite of all of the reality series I watch. I like the glamour, the bitching, the fashion-plus as a bit of a London fanatic too there are regular glimpses of notable landmarks and quirky bars and cafes. It is a far cry from life in South Yorkshire working as a dinner lady.
Binky has always been my favourite female cast member. She seems a bit more down to earth than some of the other girls and is one of those irritating people who always appears effortlessly gorgeous. I have a bit of a crush on her. And I want her hair. So when I saw she had a book out I was full of excitement.
Unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by Being Binky. I was interested in her childhood, her experience of being bullied at school and how she came to be part of Made in Chelsea, but felt there was little in the way of juicy gossip or meaty revelations. The book mostly covers her time up to starting on Made in Chelsea, whereas it would probably work better if it was based more around the relationships between cast members, her honest opinions on key moments in the series and how her life has changed.
There are lists of 'top tips' for things like 'how to apply fake tan' and 'how to date a Chelsea boy' which are really not relevant to me. This is definitely aimed at the younger market, I would say 16-18s. The pictures of Binky growing up will give any girl hope- puberty served her well- and I was amazed at how her Mum hasn't aged at all!
Overall, I was disappointed. I love Binky and thought there was so much potential, but this book fell a bit flat for me. It would have been better being marketed as a teen book, as a quick look on Amazon shows that other older fans of the show have had similar thoughts to me. I can imagine younger readers will enjoy it as an easy read and find the lists fun, but for me it could have been so much more.
Being Binky is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.
With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Binky has always been my favourite female cast member. She seems a bit more down to earth than some of the other girls and is one of those irritating people who always appears effortlessly gorgeous. I have a bit of a crush on her. And I want her hair. So when I saw she had a book out I was full of excitement.
Unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by Being Binky. I was interested in her childhood, her experience of being bullied at school and how she came to be part of Made in Chelsea, but felt there was little in the way of juicy gossip or meaty revelations. The book mostly covers her time up to starting on Made in Chelsea, whereas it would probably work better if it was based more around the relationships between cast members, her honest opinions on key moments in the series and how her life has changed.
There are lists of 'top tips' for things like 'how to apply fake tan' and 'how to date a Chelsea boy' which are really not relevant to me. This is definitely aimed at the younger market, I would say 16-18s. The pictures of Binky growing up will give any girl hope- puberty served her well- and I was amazed at how her Mum hasn't aged at all!
Overall, I was disappointed. I love Binky and thought there was so much potential, but this book fell a bit flat for me. It would have been better being marketed as a teen book, as a quick look on Amazon shows that other older fans of the show have had similar thoughts to me. I can imagine younger readers will enjoy it as an easy read and find the lists fun, but for me it could have been so much more.
Being Binky is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.
With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
July 31, 2015
Like many other television personalities, and indeed some of her fellow “Made in Chelsea” co-stars, Binky has written an autobiography… at the age of 25.
Interjected with “Being Binky” tips at the end of each chapter over its 213 pages, Binky tells her story in a very matter of fact way, mostly covering her upbringing of private schools, her parents’ divorce, bullying due to an unnamed learning difficulty before moving to London, which then lead to “Made in Chelsea”. Sounds boring?
“Being Binky” certainly is an autobiography in that it chronicles Felstead’s life so far, but this is not where you’ll find figurative dirt on any of her fellow cast members, and in reality a lot of the later chapters cover what you may have seen on screen already. By this I mean that “Made in Chelsea” is there, but is not gone into specific detail as perhaps you’d want it to.
Did I hate this? No. Did I love this? No, but “Being Binky” will appeal to young women and hardcore fans of “Made in Chelsea”, rather than anyone else.
Interjected with “Being Binky” tips at the end of each chapter over its 213 pages, Binky tells her story in a very matter of fact way, mostly covering her upbringing of private schools, her parents’ divorce, bullying due to an unnamed learning difficulty before moving to London, which then lead to “Made in Chelsea”. Sounds boring?
“Being Binky” certainly is an autobiography in that it chronicles Felstead’s life so far, but this is not where you’ll find figurative dirt on any of her fellow cast members, and in reality a lot of the later chapters cover what you may have seen on screen already. By this I mean that “Made in Chelsea” is there, but is not gone into specific detail as perhaps you’d want it to.
Did I hate this? No. Did I love this? No, but “Being Binky” will appeal to young women and hardcore fans of “Made in Chelsea”, rather than anyone else.
January 4, 2016
Really good insight into the life of someone who appears on MIC. Found the book quite interesting and Binky seems like a down to earth person. I did find it annoying that there is a lot of talk about her weight and how she's fat when she clearly isn't fat! That made me feel more insecure about my weight knowing that I was bigger than that. I think there should be a limit on how that sort of issue is represented as it can come across as quite insulting. On the other hand there are tips on healthy lifestyles and mentions of magazines promoting unhealthy slim body image so in that sense I suppose it does raise awareness. I think there should have been more on the whole 'Binky and Alex' drama as the chapter was only about three pages long and I think it was maybe sugar coated a lot to avoid media speculation. There were a couple of spelling mistakes in the book too which annoyed me as I am an ultimate grammar queen but other than that an average book to read that is quite interesting if you enjoy Made in Chelsea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2014
I love Made in Chelsea. Binky so happens to be my favourite character, which is the main reason why I bought this book. A great insight into her childhood and other areas of her life. The only reason it lost out on top marks was because I didn't really like the helpful tips, some of them didn't seem relevant to an autobiography. But other than that I found it an interesting and entertaining read.
February 12, 2015
Binky has always been my favourite from MIC, so when she released her autobiography I knew I had to have it. It was lovely to get an insight into her upbringing and life on the show. The writing was easily accessible and full of plenty of Binky's wit and humour. I always felt like I could relate to Binky, now even more so. Thoroughly enjoyed this!
March 12, 2015
It is a book that if you are a fan of Made in Chelsea you will probably enjoy. It is certainly a guilty pleasure book. I started reading the tips at the end of the chapters but didn't really need to. They're not really needed in the book.
February 9, 2015
Really good read
June 21, 2014
It's nothing amazing or awe-inspiring, but it's fun if you enjoy the show and is really quick to read.
August 7, 2018
[2.5 stars]
July 20, 2016
I felt like this book was a lot of reliving the tv show so didn't really tell me much, I liked the family chapters and all in all, it's an easy read!
June 10, 2015
This book is nothing to "write home about" but is worth a shot if you like Made in Chelsea
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews