NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Laura Whitmore shocked fans by quitting Love Island last month after two years and has delved deeper into why she stepped away.
The TV star, 37, joined the ITV2 dating show in 2020 to replace late host Caroline Flack.
However, she revealed her decision to walk away from the presenting gig days after the most recent series came to an end.
Now, she has given a bit more insight into the surprise decision after three series of hosting the hit programme.
Laura hinted she found it difficult to cope with the ‘parameters’ put in place in her role on the ITV show,
Reflecting on her departure, she said: ‘Love Island is a show that I love to watch, and I always want to work on shows that I enjoy. But there’s nothing more that I can do with it. There are parameters.’
She went on to explain: ’When you work on the show, you can’t really talk about certain things. But I’m really proud of what I did, and proud to leave on what I think has been a brilliant series, with great winners.’
The former host also threw her support behind this year’s winners, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti.
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Laura added to the Evening Standard: ‘I’m a huge fan of Ekin-Su and Davide. I know Love Island. People love a journey. No-one wants a happy relationship, because life isn’t a happy relationship. We want to see the ups and downs.’
The star is currently gearing up for her first role on the West End, after joining the cast of 2:22 A Ghost Story, alongside the likes of Matt Willis. Her stint begins on September 6.
It comes weeks after quitting her BBC Radio 5 Live show after four years, where she will be replaced by Helen Skelton.
Laura – whose husband Iain Stirling narrates the programme – revealed her exit from Love Island in a post on Instagram last month.
She explained: ‘Some news! I won’t be hosting the next series of Love Island.
‘There are certain elements of the show I’ve found very difficult that cannot be changed some due to the format, including the flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects.’
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She added: ‘I wish it was still possible but know you’ll be in safe hands. I was only planning to fill in for Caroline for a series and it turned into 3 series.
‘I hope I did you proud Caroline.’
Love Island is available to watch on ITV Hub.
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