Laura Whitmore has made a veiled critique of Love Island show bosses as she exits her role as presenter of the hit ITV2 dating show, claiming that she wasn’t allowed to check on the wellbeing of contestants.
The Irish presenter shocked fans last month as she shared the news of her departure, saying she had decided to step back from the role she initially only intended to do for a year.
The 37-year-old presenter since announced what she plans to do next, as she is set to front a new three-part series for ITV, titled Laura Whitmore Investigates.
However, in a new interview she opened up about the difficulties of presenting Love Island, noting the restrictions placed upon her by show bosses.
Laura claimed she was not allowed to check on the mental health of contestants in the show's remote Spanish villa and felt powerless to voice an opinion regarding anything she felt was unacceptable.
She told The Sunday Times : “I hate having anything I'm not allowed to say. I couldn't ask Love Islanders if they were okay.
“It is hard. Your face is the front of the show but I am one tiny person and have no producing role so I couldn't say if I didn't think something was okay.
“If your child is watching, maybe you should watch it with them and have a conversation. A friend watched with her daughter and told her that it is not okay to say certain things.
“I question things a lot, even if I don't do it publicly, people would rather I didn't. It's difficult doing that when you work on the show.”
Laura’s comments come after the latest series was dogged with Ofcom complaints of misogyny and bullying, prompting ITV to promise a review of the series once its eighth season had wrapped.
Laura went on to insist she loved her time as Love Island host, after she took over from the late Caroline Flack, who stood down in December 2019.
Laura said: “I will always be grateful for how much support Caroline gave me. The first year I did the show, I was surviving the trauma of losing someone and keeping it together and doing a live show. That first series was one of the toughest things, a lot of it was survival.”
The task ahead of ITV bosses to replace Laura’s hosting role has already prompted rife speculation as fans guessed at who the new face of the series could be.
The Mirror contacted Love Island, who declined to comment.
