Laura Whitmore to step down as Love Island host

The Irish presenter said she'd found 'certain elements' of the show 'very difficult' to make work alongside other projects. Credit: PA

Laura Whitmore has announced she is stepping down from her role as host of ITV’s Love Island.

The 37-year-old has presented the popular dating programme and its spin-off series Aftersun since 2020 after taking over from former host and friend Caroline Flack.

Sharing the news on her Instagram page, Whitmore wrote: “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.

“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”.

Following the announcement, an ITV spokesperson said: “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 programme but understand and respect her decision, and we look forward to working with her on upcoming ITV projects.”

ITV has not yet revealed who will be taking over from the Irish presenter.

There will be two series of the hit show in 2023 – a winter series in South Africa and a summer series in Majorca – which Whitmore was originally expected to host.

Whitmore took over from former host Flack shortly before her death in 2020.

She has since become a staple of the hit dating show alongside husband Iain Stirling who has provided the witty narration on the programme since 2015.

The most recent series ended earlier this month and saw Turkish actress Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Italian business owner Davide Sanclimenti crowned winners of Love Island 2022.

Whitmore's announcement comes after she revealed a week ago that she'll be making her West End stage debut in a psychological thriller next month, and has shared behind the scenes clips of rehearsals on Instagram.

She also recently shared a graphic reading "Laura Whitmore Investigates" with the caption "New TV project coming soon...", while the presenter revealed last month that she was leaving her BBC Radio 5 Live show after four years.

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