Accompanied by a gaggle of gorgeous girls wearing kitten ears and 'Candy Kittens' tshirts, Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing opened his pop-up confectionary store in central London last week. And the McVitie's heir, who was sporting a knitted jumper emblazoned with the cheeky slogan to the swanky bash, is delighted with his most recent project, telling HELLO! Online, who had the pleasure of attending the launch, that he is "very proud" of his achievement. "It's like my baby, so it's almost like watching my baby just grow at the moment," he said.
Jamie, whose great-great-grandfather is Alexander Grant, the man who invented the Digestive biscuit 120 years ago, is keen to show the public that there is more to him than the extravagant lifestyle the show often plays upon. "What's nice as well, is that despite coming from a privileged background where people don't think you do much apart from go on holidays, is that I've now created a business that I'm really proud of." As we chat to the man of the moment, we are struck by how utterly polite he is, despite being pulled in all directions for photos and quick chats. So how does Jamie feel about suddenly finding himself in the public eye? He looks around, takes a moment to consider his response, before replying with a laugh: "It's strange... Really strange! "No, I mean, obviously it's nice and a lot of good things come from it. But what's strange is that I feel like we're cheating a little," he says modestly. "We don't have a specific talent; we're not actors or singers. We lucked into something."
But his feet are firmly on the ground and he is clearly aware that his fame may well be a novelty that doesn't last forever. "One thing I've learned is to always be nice to absolutely everyone. There is no point in thinking that you're above anyone, because we're not," he states sensibly. "And also, it's important to just enjoy it. Enjoy it, because it could end tomorrow." The 23-year-old had a great deal of support from the viewing public last season after fellow castmate Louise turned him down in favour of his best friend Spencer. But Jamie has faced backlash this season after a romance with long-term friend Binky turned sour. How did he find the criticism? "It's my own fault," he replies matter-of-factly. "I was bad and it wasn't the best behaviour. But, at the same time, I'm a young guy and I can't be well-behaved all the time. "Plus, it makes you three-dimensional. You do this show and you just have to be yourself. If you're going to look bad, look good, look funny, it doesn't matter. You signed up for it and you have to just be yourself." We are keen to know whether his friendship with Binky is back on track. "Binky has forgiven me," he insists. "You'll see; I do a grand gesture in an upcoming episode." Phew. Our minds at ease, we let Jamie return to his party, while we busy ourselves with cupcakes, candy canes and cute bobble hats — if you're in search of quirky stocking fillers, it's a great place to look.