Kem Cetinay hits back after bakers accused the Love Island star of taking a free birthday cake and promised ‘social media exposure that never arrived’ and says he had ‘no scooby’ about the freebies
- La Cava Cakery provided Kem with free birthday cake for social media exposure
- But the owner said this never arrived despite being promised the exposure
Love Island star Kem Cetinay has hit back after bakers accused him of taking a free birthday cake and promising social media exposure that never arrived.
Kem ate the cake when visiting Barcelona with friends for the launch of his new clothing range for Primark, which also coincided with his 27th birthday.
The pudding was from La Cava Cakery, one of the city’s most popular dessert shops run by Irish couple Aisling Mackin and her husband Desmond.
Under an agreement with the company that organised the trip, Flourish Management, the couple also provided free cupcakes from Cava for Kem and were assured he would post about it to his 2.8million Instagram followers.
But when the posts failed to be made, the family-run bakery accused the reality TV star of not sticking to the agreement.
Today Kem hit back against the claims on Instagram, saying: ‘I genuinely had no scooby about any of this until two days ago. Madness lol.’
Flourish Management today put out a statement on Instagram (pictured) clearing Kem of any blame, saying it was a misunderstanding between themselves and the dessert shop
Love Island star Kem Cetinay (pictured) was previously accused of breaking an agreement with a family run bakery that provided him with a free birthday cake
Kem enjoyed a lush chocolate cake to celebrate his birthday from La Cava Cakery, one of the Barcelona’s most popular dessert shops which is run by Irish couple Aisling Mackin and her husband Desmond (pictured with their two daughters)
Kem and his pals posted about the trip and with pictures of him with the cake provided but did not mention the bakery at all to his 2.8 million Instagram followers
The revelation comes after this week’s explosive ‘cakegate’ row in which a small baker spoke out after being asked to make ex Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley 100 cakes for her birthday in exchange for social media and magazine plugs – but no fee.
Flourish Management today put out a statement on Instagram clearing Kem of any blame, saying it was a misunderstanding between themselves and the dessert shop.
‘It is important to clarify that the services contracted were between La Cava Cakery and Flourish MGMT.
‘Kem Cetinay had absolutely no involvement or knowledge of the circumstances and was not aware of any agreements in place between us and the supplier.
‘We acknowledge that we should not have mentioned the possibility of any social media support from Kem Cetinay as we were not warranted to make such claims on his behalf without his knowledge and apologise to La Cava Cakery for the misunderstanding.’
READ MORE: Coronation Street’s Nicola Thorp wades into Catherine Tyldesley ‘cake gate’ scandal as she insists it was the actress’ ‘duty’ to make sure the baker was paid
Before the ordeal was resolved, Ms Mackin, 46, told MailOnline: ‘I work with a lot of influencers and saw this as a good business opportunity. I was happy to provide Kem with a birthday cake and also give him and his pals cupcakes and Cava in exchange for social media exposure.
‘But I haven’t had any exposure. Kem and his pals posted about the trip and there’s even pictures of him with the cake we provided but no mention of us anywhere. Our tag @lacavacacakery isn’t in a single post, as we were promised, which is very disappointing.’
She added: ‘It’s not fair, I feel as if I’ve been led along and taken advantage of. If they didn’t want to give us any exposure, then they should have made that clear from the start and paid for the products.’
Kem was in Barcelona with a number of friends who also have sizeable social media followings but not as substantial as his. He is a brand ambassador for Primark.
In a statement issued to MailOnline, he insisted that he was not aware of any arrangements for him to post about La Cava Cakery.
He said: ‘I was unaware of any agreements in place surrounding the birthday cake that was organised for me while I was in Barcelona to launch my menswear collection in collaboration with Primark.
‘I received a direct Instagram message on Wednesday from the Bakery to explain their upset and I have been assured that the third-party provider, who organised the birthday celebration, is in touch with the Bakery to arrange payment for the amazing cakes that they provided.’
Kem continued: ‘I have no relationship with the third-party agency and they were never warranted to negotiate any social media requirements on my behalf without my knowledge.’
Primark said in a statement: ‘Primark paid a third-party agency for all fees and costs associated with the event, including a fee for a cake. We believed the fees owed had been passed onto all relevant suppliers, including La Cava Cakery.
Ms Mackin, 46, said it is not fair that she has not been repayed by the Love Island star and said she feels ‘as if I’ve been led along and taken advantage of’
Under an agreement with the company that organised the trip, the couple also provided free cupcakes and Cava for the reality TV star
‘We’ve been reassured the third-party agency is currently in direct contact with La Cava Cakery to resolve this as a matter of priority.’
These were left in his hotel for him and his guess to enjoy (pictured)
In a statement issued to MailOnline, Kem insisted that he was not aware of any arrangements for him to post about La Cava Cakery
Ms Mackin, who established La Cava Cakery five years ago and originates from Dublin, revealed that she was approached by Flourish Management ahead of Kem’s trip asking if she would like to provide a free birthday cake for him.
She added: ‘I went out of my way to make it special for him and even agreed to add cup-cakes and Cava, which were placed in his hotel room for him and all his guests. I even invited him and his friends to my store.
‘I’m Irish myself and so is Primark and saw this as a great chance for people to know about us, especially in Britain and Ireland where Kem is a big name.’
Since the visit Ms Mackin claimed that she has been in touch with Flourish Management asking them to get Kem to post about her business, but nothing has materialised.
She estimates that the total cost of the products Kem and his group received came close to £1,000, factoring in the time and cost for making his mouth-watering three-tier chocolate birthday cake, accompanying cupcakes and providing Cava.
Ms Mackin revealed that earlier this week she asked Flourish Management to repay her around £530 (620 Euros) to cover the cost of the products she supplied but was told that they were only prepared to pay £272 (316 Euros).
She fumed: ‘They have devalued what I provided, and the offer is quite insulting. How anyone can think that this is OK, I don’t know? As a small business, I feel that we have been completely mistreated. If you are asking for something for free, then you have to give something back that’s of value.
‘But we’ve got nothing back. I’ve worked with lots of influencers in the past but have never had an experience like this.’
Flourish Management told MailOnline: ‘The discussions on costings were based on her (Ms Mackin’s) website prices and as she has feedback that the cake was bespoke, we’re awaiting an invoice to pay the updated amount.’
La Cava Cakery has two stores in central Barcelona and specialises in providing cupcakes accompanied by Cava, which is specially made for them.
Before winning Love Island in 2017, Kem worked as a hairdresser for a number of celebrity clients. Since then, he has become a household name and is a regular on a number of reality TV shows.
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