‘Cakegate’ bakery reveals ‘vile’ messages they’ve received since going viral

In case you missed the ‘Cakegate’ drama earlier this week, a baker was asked to make cakes for a ‘well-known’ celeb’s party via a PR company, in exchange for ‘social media exposure’. 

It then transpired that the celebrity the PR firm was representing was Catherine Tyldesley, with the actor responding to the claims on her Instagram page.

The Coronation Street star spoke out after finding herself in the middle of accusations she asked the baker to make 100 cakes for free.

Catherine Tyldesley / Instagram

In the video, Catherine laughs and says: “Cakegate! WHAT!… So I had no idea those emails were being sent. I’m not working with the lovely OK Magazine on anything that I’m aware of, and NVRLND are an amazing company.

“They’ve supplied me with performers in the past; they’re insane and they’ve been completely misrepresented in this matter.

“Utterly bizarre. I don’t really know what to say. I mean I hope the cake lady got the exposure she was craving.”

She went on to add in the caption that she ‘would never ask anyone to work for free or provide a product for free’.

The bakery had gone viral after they were asked to provide more than 100 cakes for free, with payment being delivered in ‘social media promotion’.

Rebecca Severs owns Three Little Birds Bakery based in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

She was recently contacted by a PR company who were tasked with organising a 40th birthday party for a ‘well-known’ celebrity – who has now been named as Catherine Tyldesley.

For the party, which was set to take place in Manchester, Rebecca was asked to bake a birthday cake for the celeb, a smaller cake for her husband and 100 cupcakes.

Three Little Birds Bakery / Facebook

According to the publicist, payment would be offered in the form of exposure, saying: “payment would be made in the form of promotion on their socials with over 700k followers”.

The bakery would also be covered in a popular celebrity magazine, with ‘all suppliers credited on these platforms’.

The publicist added: “The party has a guest lists [sic] full of celebrities and industry from tv / film and music, so loads of work would come from it”.

Three Little Birds Bakery / Facebook

The baker turned down the offer, saying: “I’m so sorry to hear that your client has fallen on such hard times that they can’t afford to pay small businesses for their services.

“Unfortunately, as my mortgage provider doesn’t take payment ‘in the form of promotion on their socials’, and my staff can’t feed their kids with exposure on Instagram, I’ll have to decline your very generous offer.”

Rebecca shared screenshots of the exchange to the bakery’s Facebook, writing: “This poor celebrity apparently can’t afford to pay people for their products and services. Spare a thought! What happened to women supporting women.”

Three Little Birds Bakery / Facebook

And today, Friday August 4th, the bakery revealed they’d received some vile abuse following the incident, sharing screenshots to their Facebook page.

The post – captioned ‘sounds like someone might need some cake. Even if it is Keighley cake’ – features screenshots showing abusive messages from an individual calling the baker an ‘entitled millennial’, before adding that they ‘deserve to go bankrupt’.

As with the original post, people were quick to take Rebecca’s side, with one writing: “They really don’t get it do they? The whole nation is behind you”.

Three Little Birds Bakery / Facebook

Another added: “Personally I think what you did was marketing genius and you are so not out of your depth. I’m local (ish), had never heard of you before this (and never would have done if you had done a free cake for a celebrity) but now follow you and will definitely come and buy cake!!

“I don’t think what the PR / party planners did was wrong (that’s what is happening all the time with social media) and you were under no obligation but you had every right to turn it to your advantage.

“Well done and you don’t deserve the above abuse, carry on calling it out. And I’m looking forward to visiting soon”.

A third simply said: “Some days the internet is brilliant isn’t it? Keep sharing, we’re with you!!”

You can give them a follow on Facebook here to stay up to date and order some cakes.