Telly 20th December 2019 by Valerie Loftus
Laura Whitmore Has Been Confirmed As The New Host Of Love Island
Former host Caroline Flack has stepped down following her arrest for assault earlier this month.
Laura Whitmore has been announced as the new host of Love Island and its companion show Aftersun following the departure of Caroline Flack.
Last week, Caroline was arrested and charged with assault – she released a statement on Tuesday confirming that she had quit her presenting role “in order to not detract attention” from the new series of the show.
Laura was one of a list of names rumoured to be replacing the OG host, along with former Love Islander Olivia Attwood and The Circle presenter Maya Jama.
In a statement on Instagram, the Bray native said: “I will be hosting Love Island and Aftersun this series. Whhhhaa??? To say I’m excited to be heading to Cape Town to host Love Island, the biggest show on television, is an understatement.”
She went on to say that she wished she was taking over “in better circumstances”, as Caroline is a good friend of hers:
I want to thank ITV for trusting me at the helm of this huge show. I wish it was in better circumstances; Caroline is a brilliant host and friend. We’ve spoken a lot in the last few days since she stepped down. She has been very kind to me and strongly pushed me for this role. I’ve watched her host every series and know I have big boots to fill. I will try and do it justice.
Laura has been dating Love Island’s narrator, Scottish comedian Iain Stirling, since 2017, and joked that she was ruining his solo holiday.
“The Love Island team are the best in the business… including the voice and heart of the show, Iain,” she wrote. “He thought he was getting a holiday away from me… not a chance.”
Winter Love Island will kick off on Sunday January 12 on Virgin Media Two.