Why 11 years ago, world-famous Aussies Lara and Sam Worthington chose to vanish from the spotlight

Exclusive: For Aussie stars Lara Worthington née Bingle and husband Sam, maintaining privacy is of the utmost importance for them and their three boys.

The couple, who married in a top secret ceremony in 2014 with less than ten people in attendance, have kept their relationship out of the public eye for over a decade and have successfully shielded their young sons from the spotlight.

Despite Avatar star Sam, 49, being one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and Lara, 39, one of Australia’s most prolific faces, they are fiercely private.

Lara told nine.com.au “protecting” sons Rocket Zot, 11, Racer, nine, and River, six, while in the public eye is a conscious decision she’s grateful she and Sam made.

“All my children, I think, we’ve always protected them, that’s been a choice,” she said.

“I think privacy is mostly a choice, I would say. It was always our choice to not put our kids out there from day dot.

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“They’re older now. Like my son, Rocket, he’s 11, and it’s nice. I’m so glad that we did that, because they’re not everywhere. I think this day and age is moving so fast, the world right now.”

Lara says it means they can keep some family moments to themselves.

“It’s nice to have that. It’s pockets of the world to you, to keep things to your family as much as you can.

“They can always choose what they want to do later, but I think for the decade that they were babies, I think it’s nice to protect them as much as you can,” she said.

The family are based in New York, but Lara says she’s still very much connected to her home country of Australia and proudly calls it “home”.

Lara, as many fans will know, hails from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.

“I still have an Australian passport. I’m still Australian!” she says with a laugh.

“I think I’ve found a nice balance to be able to continue to work still in Australia, which brings me home. I still call it home.

“Sam and I still get to show our kids different parts of Australia. He’s from WA. I’m from Sydney. It’s always that place, that special place, I think, for our family. Even though the kids were born in America.”

Lara also touched on husband Sam’s incredible Hollywood success including Avatar, saying everyone involved in the franchise including director James Cameron, are like “family”.

“I would say it’s the nicest franchise to be a part of. Because it’s very family-driven,” Lara continued.

“It’s been in my life, personally, for over 10 years, and Sam’s for over 20 years.

“Zoe [Saldaña] has three boys. And I feel like we’ve grown up together. We’ve got six boys between us, so. They kind of grew up on set, when they were younger. The whole set is like a family,” she added.

Lara, who is known for her edgy style and fashion, is partnering with eBay to help celebrate the arrival of pre-loved fashion on eBay Live.

“I think I would say it’s become more instinctive. I buy less and keep things for longer. Rather than what’s trending,” she said of her own sense of style.

“I feel, especially when you travel as much as I do, it’s hard to have this big wardrobe. It’s just pieces that I pop in and out, and I feel like I’ve created a capsule wardrobe to help me wear things more than once, and I think that’s really important.”

“I’m not a hoarder in any way,” she chuckled.

“That masculine with the feminine touch, has always been my style,” she adds.

Lara is selling some of her pre-loved items to fans, with pieces from some of her favourite designers and even a stunning Viktor Gichev gown she wore to the 2025 Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere.

The gown is semi-sheer and features eye-catching lace detailing on the front.

“It’s one of those dresses that has such good memories, and even though I only got to wear it once, I’ve worn it around my house a few times, but it’s nice to pass things on, you know?”

“Especially one of a kind pieces. He created that dress for the Avatar Paris, premiere.”

Lara has even purchased some cool pieces for her boys online over the years.

“I buy most of my kids clothes [on eBay],” she said.

“That 90s, Y2K, Adidas and Nike, they made some cool stuff back in the day. They still do, but it’s more vintage-looking now. And kids’ clothes are sometimes hard to find.

“So, the $12 t-shirts that are, Star Wars, and are oversized for my son. He loves them. So I buy a lot of my kids’ clothes, and they go through things so quickly. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on them.”

“And then dresses [for herself]. I buy a lot of Galliano, and those things that are one of a kind that you can’t get. It’s become more and more interesting to find pieces that people don’t have.”

So what’s next for Lara?

She’s looking forward to the launch of her brand Ommage Beauty later in September.

“I’ve been working on it almost three years, so I’m really ready. I’ve been creating it for so long, and there’s only so much you can sit with something, and then you just need to let it breathe and live.

“It’s a cool object and it’s accessible. So, I’m super excited about that next phase,” she admits.

Lara Worthington’s auction stream within eBay Live’s 24 Hours of Drops will start from 2:00pm AEST on Friday, 26 June.