Who Is Sam Worthington's Wife? All About TV Personality Lara Worthington

Sam Worthington and Lara Worthington have been married since 2014 and share three sons.

Sam, best known as Jake Sully in the Avatar film franchise, and Lara, a model and TV personality, grew up in Australia but met in New York City’s Central Park during a music festival in 2013. They tied the knot in December 2014 and kept their nuptials a secret from the public for almost a year.

In March 2015, they welcomed their first son, Rocket Zot. Their son Racer arrived in 2016, followed by River in 2020. Between busy careers and raising their three boys, Sam told PEOPLE, “every second that I spend with my wife” is the happiest part of his day.

“I have Valentine’s Day every day because my wife is the perfect gift,” the Avatar: The Way of Water star continued. “That’s why I love her so much — she can tell me how it is, all the normal stuff, fight, complain, but I love her for every piece of that.”

So who is Sam Worthington’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Lara Worthington and her relationship with the actor.

She’s a model

Lara Bingle was born in New South Wales, Australia, on June 22, 1987. She began modeling as a teenager in Australia and dropped out of school at 16 to pursue her career in Italy.

In 2006, she booked a major advertising campaign for Australia’s tourism agency — but the ads turned out to be controversial. Lara was one of many Aussies who appeared in the commercial, each sharing how they prepared for visitors to come Down Under. A bikini-clad Lara ended the ad on a beach by saying the campaign tagline, "So where the bloody hell are you?" While the word “bloody” is commonly used for emphasis in Australia, the ad’s international audience was not as familiar. "Bloody" was cut from TV commercials in the U.K., while Canadian regulators banned the commercial from playing during family programs because of the word “hell.”

Despite the controversy, Lara continued her busy modeling career. She has since graced the covers of Elle Australia, Marie Claire Australia and Harper’s Bazaar Australia, and she’s made guest appearances on TV shows like Australia's Next Top Model. Her brand collaborations and ambassadorships include Speedo, Cotton On and Emma Lewisham skincare.

In addition to her work as a model, Lara had her own reality TV series. Being Lara Bingle premiered in June 2012 on Australia’s Network 10. The series lasted for one season.

Lara has also appeared on reality competition shows. In 2006, she competed on Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice, where she placed third with partner and pro skater Matt Evers. In 2011, she competed on Australia’s Dancing with the Stars and came in fifth place with dancer Carmelo Pizzino.

She met Sam in New York City

Sam and Lara first met in September 2013 at the Global Citizen Festival in N.Y.C.’s Central Park.

“I was there for a Cotton On event, and he was there with a few of his friends,” Lara recalled on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in May 2017.

The model knew fairly quickly that Sam was the guy for her. “I said, ‘Mum, I'm going to get married,’ ” she added. “And she was like, ‘What? You've just met this guy.' And I said, ‘No, he’s definitely [the one].’ ”

She and Sam got married in 2014

The private couple kept their nuptials under wraps for nearly a year after they exchanged vows. During an October 2015 appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she confirmed that they had tied the knot on Dec. 28, 2014.

Of their wedding, Lara shared: “It was very intimate — we just popped in to Melbourne where Sam’s family is from. It was just our families, less than 10 people. We wrote the whole celebration, we wrote all our vows. … I was pregnant as well.” The bride and her mother also prepared an afternoon lunch for the group.

Lara also recalled her experience of finding a dress. “Just before the wedding I was in London, so it was really cold at that time of the year and finding a dress — I think I was six months pregnant,” she said. “I found something at Louis Vuitton. It was white.”

She’s the founder of a cosmetics and skincare brand

Lara launched her cosmetics line, The Base by Lara Bingle, in November 2014 — just a month before getting married. The brand initially offered a range of products from tanning mousse to body oil.

In 2019, she rebranded the company to Share The Base and shifted to operate as a nonprofit organization, opting to donate 100% of net proceeds to select charity partners. The brand makes just one product, the LB Cream, a tinted moisturizer with SPF.

She’s a mom of three

Sam and Lara are parents of three boys. The couple kept Lara’s pregnancy news a secret until the arrival of their firstborn, Rocket Zot, on March 24, 2015.

A source told PEOPLE that they went with the name Rocket because “they just liked it!” His middle name, Zot, is Lara’s late father’s nickname; he and Lara were “very close” before his death in May 2008.

Rocket became a big brother when Racer arrived in October 2016, followed by River in early 2020.

"Obviously we didn't get past the 'R' in the book," Sam joked during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in 2022. "But yeah, we couldn't really have ‘Rocket’ and ‘Sam’ or ‘George.’ I wanted them to mean something, so Rocket means to ascend; Racer came from a poem about a kid that embraces life, embraces being part of the human race."

As for their youngest, they stuck with the trend of 'R' names. "Then River, we wanted something a bit more calm, but he's always a torrent,” Sam added. “He's the worst. He's the wildest.”

Despite their famous parents, the boys are unaware that Sam and Lara are anything but Mom and Dad. "At the moment, they think my job is Dad, and that's all that matters," he said.

They relocated from Los Angeles to New York City in 2022

The family of five moved from Los Angeles to N.Y.C. in early 2022 and have acclimated to their life in the city.

“I love the culture of living in New York with the boys,” she told Marie Claire Australia in March 2023. “We don’t have a car, so they ride their scooters home from school, which is a nice change from the L.A. bubble.”

She added: “We often stop at museums or an art gallery on the way home from school, which I love because I didn’t get to experience that when I was growing up. The boys love the Museum of Natural History, although they’re also like, ‘We’ve been there five times now, can we not!’ ”

And the family keeps the fun going into the weekend. “On weekends, we love walking the city,” she said. “That’s one of our favorite things to do as a family.”

She gave Sam an ultimatum about drinking

In 2022, Sam opened up about his addiction story and credited Lara with helping him get sober.

The actor recalled that, after the success of Avatar in 2009, he was drinking a lot and often. For example, he’d have four or five glasses of Champagne before a flight — Lara told him she had not seen anyone drink so much before the plane even took off.

"I couldn't see it. I thought it was normal," he told Variety. “I didn’t like who I was. Drinking helped me get through the day.”

Sam recalled that he was “emotional and erratic” when he was drunk, and eventually, Lara had had enough. "You can do what you want, but I don't need to be around this," she told him.

Her ultimatum was what Sam needed to get sober, which as of 2022 he had been for eight years.

She wants her kids to have a normal childhood

Though Sam and Lara’s boys have had a different upbringing from their parents, who were both raised in Australia, the couple work hard to give them a grounded childhood.

“We tend to try to keep our lives as normal as we can. I don’t think about that stuff ever. I don’t make it my reality,” she told Marie Claire Australia of tabloids. N.Y.C. has stricter paparazzi laws than L.A. —  one of the reasons for their cross-country move.

“My mum instilled in me that it’s important to maintain a little bit of mystery. I think it’s hard in this day and age to achieve,” Lara shared.

She added: “It’s really important to establish a good foundation from the beginning. Sam and I have always emphasized the importance of those formative years, as it’s not something that just happens overnight. Our boys go to a very progressive school and we really prioritized instilling good values.”