It’scool watching yourwife bereally goodat herthing ..it’ssexy
Love Island Iain on Laura joining his sitcom .. and the joys of being a new dad
LOVE Island’s Iain Stirling “can’t believe” he’s a dad. The Edinburgh-born star, who turns 35 on Friday, became a father in Spring 2021 with wife Laura Whitmore, 37.
But nearly two years since daughter Stevie was born in March 2021, he still struggles with realising he’s a parent.
Iain said: “I’m a parent, so pretty much every time I do anything that involves looking after a child, the whole time I’m going, ‘I can’t believe this’. Every bath time I’m like, ‘I cannot believe I am washing a kid. This is insane’.”
And while he and Laura didn’t reveal Stevie’s name for a few months and haven’t shown her face, Iain, whose Failing Upwards stand-up show was streamed on Prime Video last year, is looking forward to using experiences as a first-time dad for a new stand-up routine.
He said: “I think there’s more cerebral elements of it, about how it feels so unique being a parent that you feel like you must be the only person that’s done it. It’s so mental.
“And then, on a really superficial level, babies sh** themselves in annoying places, on public transport and in restaurants and stuff, which you can’t believe.
“So, I’ll look forward to talking about that when the time is right. I don’t want to just be another comic talking about how my kid said this funny thing or whatever.
“I want to get the tone right. But I’d love to talk about that.”
Iain married Laura in Dublin in 2020 and the family lives in London. Last year, they started a true crime podcast together called Partners in Crime with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling, and while many people thought they worked together when Laura hosted Love Island and he narrated it – they were more like ships in the night.
He said: “It’s funny because when we did Love Island together, we were always asked about that.
“But we didn’t work together on Love Island at all. We were very rarely in the same building, let alone being on the same show.”
Getting his wife on the second series of Buffering, as channel controller Vic, has meant they are working together and the pair are seeing much more of each other.
And for Iain, watching his wife acting was “sexy”.
He said: “It was nice getting up in the morning and getting our coffees. It felt like having an office job, you have a 9-5, going into the office together.
“This sounds a bit wet but it is mad watching her, because Laura has got an acting background and for three, four months was in this play (making her west end acting debut as Jenny in 2:22 – A Ghost Story).
“It’s quite cool watching your wife be really good at her thing. It’s sexy.
“Watching her being really brilliant at a skill. I just love seeing her do it.”
The play was the first thing Laura did after announcing she had quit presenting Love Island last year – performing until earlier this month.
Singer Cheryl took over the role last Friday. Buffering was first shown on ITV2 in 2021 and follows the life of kids’ TV presenter Iain and housemates
Ashley (Rosa Robson), Rosie (Jessie Cave), Greg (Paul G Raymond) and Thalia (Janine Harouni) as they navigate life in their 20s.
Co-written with BBC New Comedy Award-winning Steve Bugeja, Iain said he had fun writing bits in for Laura’s role for his own personal amusement.
He added: “There’s a bit where she’s physically repulsed by me. I just find it so funny that it’s just her going, ‘Oh, he’s vile’, and I’m like, ‘I’ve definitely seen that face before’.”
Iain, who first found fame fronting CBBC in 2009 with canine puppet sidekick Hacker T. Dog before becoming the narrator of Love Island from its first series in 2015, revealed he based Laura’s character on “one boss from kids’ TV” but won’t name her. Laura’s Vic is very foul mouthed. Iain laughed: “Laura swore in the play as well. I’ve been to see it seven times and every time I cannot believe it.
“She uses words she will not allow in the house. That was part of the fun of it.”
While they live together, Iain went through the proper channels to get his wife on board - sending the script to Laura’s agent. He said: “It wasn’t done over cornflakes in the morning. We’ve no time, we’ve got nappies to change and bottles to fill.”
Iain is narrating the Winter Love Island in South Africa – from London .And he’s full of praise for new host Maya Jama, the show’s third presenter, and admitted “her solo-mo walks have been something else”.
His early favourite is farmer Will Young who he reckons is the “underdog” the public will fall in love with.
With one of the most recognisable voices in Britain, Iain has admitted he uses it for his gain but also has to put on accents so he’s not recognised.
He said: “Sometimes it’s handy if I’m on the phone to tech support and they work out who I am and I get a very mild VIP treatment, that’s quite nice.
“It’s unhelpful when I’m on tour and I’m working late and the only place open is a 24 hours McDonald’s and I’m trying to order in a Liverpool accent so people don’t recognised me.
“Basically I’m in a weird position where, as long as I don’t speak, I don’t get recognised.” Buffering returns on Monday, ITV2 at 10.05pm. Love Island continues tonight, ITV2 at 9pm.