Laura Whitmore once caused controversy after her salary as the host of the ITV reality show Love Island was revealed.
Laura Whitmore was announced to be the host of the 2020 winter series of Love Island in South Africa and has presented series seven and eight of the ITV2 dating show, in which Ekin-Su Cülcülolu and Davide Sanclimenti were declared winners earlier this month.
Laura Whitmore's glittering TV career
In recent years, Laura Whitmore has become one of the most regular fixtures on British TV screens, drawing a large number of audience with her strong screen presence.
The 37-year-old Irish presenter joined Love Island in 2020 and has hosted the incredibly popular reality TV show and its spin-off program Aftersun for three seasons. She formerly anchored I'm A Celebrity for five seasons beginning in 2011, and she used to serve as a Eurovision commentator.
According to the Mirror, Laura also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice in 2016, however she was the fifth celebrity to be voted off.
Why did Laura Whitmore leave Love Island?
Previously, it has been reported that Laura Whitmore is set to be paid a whopping £600,000 for her work on the show despite featuring only 14 minutes. Despite the eye-watering deal, Laura later decided to step back from the role in August, which surprised many fans.
According to The Mirror, Laura revealed the 'exhausting' and 'tough' parts of hosting Love Island, which led to her departure from the program. Laura, who shares a 16-month-old daughter with Love Island voice actor Iain Sterling, announced on Instagram that she would be quitting the show, explaining that she felt traveling back and forth for filming has been ‘very difficult.'
When Caroline Flack stepped down as Love Island's presenter in December 2019, Laura took over her place. Regarding why she chose to leave the dating show, Laura indicated that she only intended to stand in for Caroline for one season.
Turning to Instagram, Laura announced:
'There are certain elements of the show I've found very difficult that cannot be changed due to the format, including the flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects.'
Laura once said in an interview after her exit:
‘I had to think about it for my own mental health side because I love the show, but it comes with a lot of s**t. It’s a bit exhausting and it’s tough.’
Speaking of Laura's exit, an ITV spokesperson said regrettably:
'Laura has been a fantastic host across the last three series of the show. We are so grateful for everything she has brought to the program but understand and respect her decision, and we look forward to working with her on upcoming ITV projects.'
Laura Whitmore's replacement on Love Island
ITV was seeking a replacement after Laura left, and they found one in Maya Jama.
Since the heartbreaking passing of Caroline Flack, fans of the dating program have pleaded with the producers to use Maya as the permanent host.
Laura appears to be in favor of Maya assuming the reins, according to comments she made online:
‘Yes girl! So delighted for you! You're gonna be fab.’
Laura has joined a new dating show
Three months after quitting her post as Love Island host, the former Strictly star has joined a brand new dating series that will entail finding love in the digital age.
The program is revealed to be Date Night and is set to premiere on Prime Video, according to the Mirror. On Date Night, competitors will use dating apps at home, including Tinder, while also getting advice from friends and family.
The unique feature of the show is that contestants' close pals and relatives will watch as they swipe for and chat with potential dates. These onlookers can offer their own comments on who they think could be a good match across six 45-minute episodes.
According to Marca, Date Night is an ‘innovative new format’ that is expected to attract millions of people who have been swiping left and right in search of true love.
Read more:
⋙ Maya Jama confirmed to replace Laura Whitmore as Love Island host
⋙ Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton to replace Laura Whitmore on Radio 5 Live
⋙ This is how much Laura Whitmore is getting paid for hosting Love Island
