Made In Chelsea’s Binky Felstead reveals how her family have settled in to life across the pond and whether more kids are on the cards
At the height of her Made In Chelsea fame, drama tended to follow Binky Felstead everywhere. From cheating boyfriends to fallouts with friends, she was involved in some of the most explosive storylines.
Now Binky has swapped the London party scene for a more laid-back life in the American countryside with businessman Max Darnton, whom she married in 2021, and her three children, and as a result, she’s found a much-needed sense of calm and contentment.
“I’m enjoying my thirties more than my twenties,” she says. “My purpose is my children and my husband. The older you get, the more you know yourself and what you will – and won’t – put up with. And your friendship circles are stronger. My mum always said that was going to happen, so long may it last.”
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Binky and Max, who has an office in New York, moved to rural Connecticut early last month. They have two sons – Wolfie, five, and Wilder, three – while Binky shares daughter India, nine, with fellow Made In Chelsea alumni Josh ‘JP’ Patterson. JP recently flew to the US to spend time with India, and Binky shared a snap of him beaming with all three children, proving they’re making long-distance co-parenting work.
Opening up about the Stateside move, which she admits involves “plenty of back and forth across the pond for family, friends and work commitments”, she says it’s been “really special” – especially for the kids.
“They haven’t been happier,” she says. “They’re meeting some wonderful new friends and they’re loving their new schools. It’s been a great move.”
Motherhood has played a big part in helping Binky find her feet in the world. Since welcoming India at the age of 27, her children have been her number one focus. And while we’re sure she’s faced the usual parenting ups and downs, she says they’re in a good place.
“They’ve got to the age where they complement each other and play nicely,” she says. “Wolfie’s so sweet and Wilder is my wild one, so I named him perfectly. India is so maternal and helpful. She wants me to have another one – a girl. I’m like, ‘Hold your horses!’”
Binky says she’s undecided about having more kids but admits she’s always wanted a big family – and Max “would love another boy”. “We’ve always had three or four in our heads, but I feel like I’ve just got my groove back,” she says. “I manage to make the chaos work.”
However, she admits she sometimes struggles to divide her time equally between all three children. “With India, she had my undivided attention all the time – she even came to meetings with me. But the more children you have, it feels like the less they get of you. You feel guilty for doing anything. I think that’s always going to be the case, but what’s great is that they get to see their parents working and how you make money, and I want them to be proud.”
Binky and Max, 38, met at celeb hotspot Soho Farmhouse in 2019. They tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall (where else!) two years later, before celebrating their union with a stunning clifftop wedding in Corfu in 2022.
Despite entrepreneur Max now running his own company, Binky makes it clear he still pulls his weight when it comes to parenting. She says, “He’s always in the city working, but he tries to get back just before bath time. We’ll have dinner with the kids and won’t be on our phones for the rest of the evening. On the weekends, we’re very much a team. We play Snakes and Ladders in the evening by the fire, or go to the playground or for dog walks in the woods.”
They also ensure they prioritise time together as a couple. “It’s really important to do date nights, even if it’s not going out,” Binky says. “We love going for walks or to the gym together when we can, too.”
Fitness is an important aspect of Binky’s life and she wouldn’t be without her daily workouts, saying the mental health benefits are a huge draw.
“I start the day off doing a gym class,” she says. “I do a 30 to 45-minute session, which really starts my day off perfectly after the school drop-off. It gets the endorphins flowing. We’ve got a beach a 10-minute drive away, which is really special. Taking time for myself and being in my own company is so important.”
Career-wise, Binky is now working with fashion and interiors brands. “It feels like a different life,” she says. And referring to her six tumultuous years on MIC , she adds, “Some of it was weird and scarring, but a lot of positives came from it. I wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing today and having the experiences I’m having if I’d not done that, so I’m eternally grateful.”
In 2024, Binky and fellow MIC favourites Rosie Fortescue and Lucy Watson launched a spin-off show, Beyond Chelsea , which documents how their lives have moved on. She says, “I wanted to start a show that is more relatable for our age group – people who are having kids, getting married and having jobs.”
Sadly, it sounds like a third season is unlikely, given Binky’s relocation to the States – although she says a countryside-set spin-off could be “quite fun”.
Binky is currently collaborating with Love & Roses, launching her own edit with the fashion brand. “The pieces are all very much my style,” she says. “On Made In Chelsea I was wearing my oversized jumpers and holey leggings, and the producers were like, ‘You cannot wear that on camera.’ Working with amazing stylists, going on shoots and learning about how to dress for my body shape has been a natural evolution. Now I absolutely love it.”
Binky x Love & Roses is available exclusively at Next, online and in selected stores.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
