Melbourne,
(ANI):
Beachwear
brand
Speedo
has
reportedly
cut
ties
with
Lara
Bingle
and
signed
former
Miss
Universe
Rachael
Finch
as
its
new
face.
Bingle's
250,000-dollar-a-year
contract
with
the
swimwear
label
has
been
jeopardized
by
the
introduction
of
Finch,
who
will
next
week
shoot
Speedo's
summer
campaign.
Bingle,
who
has
spent
the
past
two
months
preparing
to
star
in
the
campaign,
her
third,
is
on
contract
with
Speedo
until
May.
Finch's
management,
IMG
World,
yesterday
confirmed
that
their
client's
relationship
with
Speedo.
The
beauty
pageant
contestant,
who
is
a
year
younger
than
Bingle
at
22,
and
competed
on
this
year's
Dancing
With
The
Stars,
is
a
keen
water
skier
and
no
stranger
to
bikini
modelling
after
last
year's
appearing
in
a
major
advertising
spread
for
luxury
swimwear
label
Jets,
by
Jessika
Allen.
Insiders
maintained
that
Finch
fitted
the
Speedo
brief
'perfectly'
because
of
her
down-to-earth,
summery
nature.
"They
wanted
someone
more
wholesome
and
not
so
entwined
in
saga," the
Daily
Telegraph
quoted
a
source
as
saying.
However,
Bingle's
manager,
Titus
Day,
reiterated
that
Bingle
remained
on
the
books
at
Speedo.
"Lara
has
always
had
a
good
relationship
with
Speedo
and
still
has
six
months
to
run
on
her
current
contract," he
said.
"When
the
time
comes
we'll
look
at
her
options.
Until
then
she
remains
the
face
of
Speedo."
When
contacted,
Speedo
marketing
manager
Tiffany
Scott
said
she
was
'not
in
a
position
to
comment'
on
the
brand's
relationship
with
either
Finch
or
Bingle.