We need to learn to love ourselves
Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore looks after her mind and her body, as Lauren Taylor discovers
LAURA Whitmore has been lavished with praise since taking over as presenter for the winter series of ITV2’s Love Island when Caroline Flack stepped down following an assault charge.
But while the 34-year-old, from Bray in County Wicklow, may be helping the contestants find love, she’s already settled – with comedian boyfriend Iain Stirling, who provides the show’s voiceovers.
For most couples, there would be excitement knowing they will be going to Cape Town for work – but Edinburgh-born Iain spends most of his days in a Portakabin in the villa grounds working on his cheeky chat. Laura said: “It is such a privilege to get to travel with work, and what a show. It will be great to see Iain but something tells me we won’t be seeing each other quite as much as everyone thinks.”
The contestants – including Lewis Capaldi’s ex Paige Turley – spend most days in bikinis but Laura insists she doesn’t feel any pressure to look a certain way. If there is one criticism about Love Island, it’s that it’s always ripped, body beautifuls and there’s never the differing sizes you would see walking down your local high street.
But Laura said: “I don’t think anybody should feel pressure to look a certain way. Our bodies are wonderful things and we should love ourselves, independent of what we look like.”
Not that Laura doesn’t hit the gym. It turns out she’s a bit of a fitness enthusiast, although again she doesn’t work out with Iain. She laughed: “We try to take the dog for a walk together but, to be honest, our schedules don’t always align to allow us to work out properly together.”
With Christmas over, Laura has returned to a weekly fitness routine and has her gym bag of essentials sorted – headphones (to listen to podcasts or music), a towel and a bottle of water. She said: “I try to fit any exercise into my schedule, without putting too much pressure on myself.
“A lot of what I do is for my mind as much as my
body, so usually I try to go to hot yoga twice a week if I can. Wherever I am in the world, I will always have a pair of trainers in my bag.”
Laura prefers gym classes to working out – mainly for the motivation.
And as many of you are battling with those new year resolutions to lose weight or get fitter, Laura’s motivation is always how she feels after she has worked out.
She said: “After I have done a workout, I feel really pleased with myself and my mind feels clearer. It’s that feeling I constantly remind myself of, to get me to exercise.”
It’s not just the body she likes to keep in tune, Laura loves having a cup of tea with her pals or having a bubble bath to chill out.
She added: “Having a balance between work and friends/family life is really important to me. It needs to be fairly equal.
“Sometimes all you need is a chat with your mate to help you feel good. I also do need to find time to do a little bit of exercise, whether that is heading to a gym class or going on a run outside, I really find it keeps the mind strong and healthy, as well as the body.”
● Love Island continues tonight on ITV2 at 9pm. Laura teamed up with Clif, the makers of plant-based Clif energy bars, where she DJ’ed at a series of spinning workout sessions aimed at helping people restart their fitness routine while staving off winter blues.