Laura Whitmore (born 4 May 1985) is an Irish media personality and model based in London. She was a

video jockey A video jockey (abbreviated VJ or sometimes veejay) is an announcer or host who introduces music videos and live performances on commercial music television channels such as MTV, VH1, MuchMusic and Channel V. Origins The term "video jockey" come ...

for MTV in 2008, and has since presented television shows, such as ''This Morning'' (2014), '' Survival of the Fittest'' (2018) and '' Love Island'' (2020–2022). In 2016, she appeared on the fourteenth series of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' with dance partner

Giovanni Pernice Giovanni Pernice (born 5 September 1990) is an Italian professional dancer based in the United Kingdom, best known for his appearances on the British television show '' Strictly Come Dancing''. He is also an Italian Open Latin Dance Champion (201 ...

. In 2020, Whitmore was a team captain on the comedy panel show '' Celebrity Juice''.

Early life

Whitmore was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

on 4 May 1985. She has two half-brothers. She grew up in

Bray, County Wicklow Bray ( ) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is ...

, where she attended Loreto Secondary School, before studying journalism at

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its ...

Career

Television

In April 2008,

MTV Networks Europe Paramount Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) is a division of Paramount International Networks which is fully owned by Paramount Global. The unit's headquarters are in Berlin, with additional offices in Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Am ...

launched a campaign ''Pick Me MTV'' where Whitmore competed against other contestants to become the face of MTV News in

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initially, MTV serve ...

. Between 2008 and 2015, she hosted news bulletins for MTV in Ireland, the UK and pan-European MTV channels. She was regularly seen on MTV News hosting special events in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. For five series from 2011, Whitmore hosted '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' on ITV2 airing immediately after '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' . Whitmore announced on 14 April 2016 that she was leaving the show. In the summer of 2012, she appeared on the RTÉ television talk show, ''

Saturday Night with Miriam ''Saturday Night with Miriam'' was a televised talk show first broadcast on RTÉ One in the summer of 2005. The show runs for six weeks as a summer filler, and is overseen by Miriam O'Callaghan, a co-presenter of '' Prime Time''. Format ''Sat ...

'', after carrying the 2012 Summer Olympics torch. A pilot episode of songwriting-based talent show '' The Hit'' aired in September 2012 on

RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

, hosted by Whitmore. On 15 March 2013, RTÉ announced that the show had been ordered for a full series which was broadcast in the summer, but Whitmore would not host due to conflicting schedule in London.

Aidan Power Aidan Power (born 30 March 1979) is an Irish television and radio presenter. Career Born in Templeogue, Dublin, Power was educated at St. Mac Dara's community college and then Ballyfermot Senior College where he obtained a diploma in broadca ...

and

Nicky Byrne Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter, best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since relea ...

presented the full series. In April 2014, she co-hosted the ''

11th Irish Film & Television Awards The 11th Irish Film & Television Awards took place on Saturday 5 April 2014 in Dublin, honouring Irish film and television released in 2013. The nominations were announced on 27 February 2014. The Awards Ceremony took place at the DoubleTree by H ...

'' with

Simon Delaney Simon Delaney (born 2 September 1970) is an Irish actor, director and television presenter. He is known for appearances in a range of films and television series such as RTÉ's comedy-drama '' Bachelors Walk'' and CBS' legal drama '' The Good Wi ...

. In 2014, she joined the BBC Eurovision team as a commentator for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2014 The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European B ...

semi-finals in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark alongside Scott Mills on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

. She replaced

Ana Matronic Ana Kirby (; born August 14, 1974), known by her stage name Ana Matronic, is an American singer, best known as the female co-lead vocalist for the pop rock band Scissor Sisters. Career She joined Scissor Sisters, founded by Jake Shears and ...

in the role, but did not return in 2015. In 2014, she was an occasional presenter of "The Hub" section on ITV's '' This Morning''. On 24 October 2014, she appeared in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's '' The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night'' to raise awareness of testicular cancer. In February 2015, Whitmore left MTV News after seven years on the channel, but continued to present irregular segments and specials. Her last bulletin with the station was recorded on 26 February 2015. On 10 August 2016, Whitmore took part in the fourteenth series of '' Strictly Come Dancing'', beginning September 2016. She was partnered with Italian dancer

and was the sixth contestant to be voted out, on 5 November 2016, following a dance off with eventual series champions

Ore Oduba Ore Oduba (born 17 November 1986) is a British television and radio presenter who has also worked as an actor. He is best known for winning the fourteenth series of BBC One's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2016. He presented the CBBC news program ...

and

Joanne Clifton Joanne Kirsty Clifton (born 24 October 1983) is an English professional dancer, presenter, actress, and singer. She won the World Ballroom Showdance Championship in 2014, and won the European Professional Ballroom Championship and World Dancespor ...

. In 2018, she presented '' Survival of the Fittest'', a reality series for ITV2, alongside comedian Brennan Reece. On 20 December 2019, it was announced that Whitmore would host the sixth series of ITV2's '' Love Island'' in 2020 after

Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television and radio presenter and actress. She won the twelfth series of BBC’s ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2014 and presented '' The X Factor'' and later ''Love Is ...

was arrested for assaulting her partner Lewis Burton. Following Flack's death while that was airing, Whitmore returned for the seventh series in June 2021. On 23 August 2022, it was announced that Whitmore will step down from hosting Love Island. One of the reasons for stepping down was Whitmore's new projects that were conflicting with her commitment to Love Island.

Other work

In 2003, Whitmore was a contestant in a modelling talent search on

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...

's '' The Late Late Show'', reaching the final 15 of the competition. In August 2009, she launched a self-branded clothing range available at

A Wear A Wear was an Irish chain of women's clothing stores with a wide number of operations in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The brand also operated internationally through its online store at awear.com and stores within the United Kingd ...

. In 2011, she appeared on the September cover of ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' magazine. Whitmore is a spokeswoman for the

Because I Am a Girl Because I Am a Girl is an international movement by the aid organization Plan. The campaign is made to address the issue of gender discrimination around the world."Discrimination against girls 'still deeply entrenched'", ''The Independent'', 15 May ...

charity clothing campaign. She collaborated with Daisy London on a jewellery collection in October 2015. The collection was inspired by music and features the recurring shape of the

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harps ...

throughout. In October 2014, she launched Misstache for Movember, a campaign for women to support and raise awareness of the men's health charity. She appeared on ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest 2015 list at number 37. She features in the music video for " Skip to the Good Bit", a song by

Rizzle Kicks Rizzle Kicks are a British hip hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, ''Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...

and the music video for "Mark My Words" by

The Coronas The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...

. In 2017, she played Cleo Morey alongside

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

, Bill Ward and Stephen Billington in the stage adaptation of the Peter James book ''Not Dead Enough''. She hosted a weekly Sunday morning radio show on BBC Radio 5 Live between 2018 and 2022. In September 2020, she was announced by Nintendo UK as a brand ambassador for the Nintendo Switch game ''

Ring Fit Adventure is an exercising action role-playing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The game comes with two physical components: the Ring-Con, a Pilates ring that the user holds and one Joy-Con slots into, and a Leg Strap, a ...

'' and began appearing in a TV advertisement for the game. On 4 March 2021, Whitmore's first book titled ''No One Can Change Your Life Except For You'' was released. In August 2022, it was announced that Whitmore would be joining the cast of '' 2:22 A Ghost Story'' on West End.

Personal life

As of 2018, Whitmore lived in the Camden area of London. She married Scottish comedian Iain Stirling in a private humanist ceremony in 2020 at Dublin City Hall. Whitmore gave birth to their daughter, Stevie Ré, in late March 2021.

Filmography

;Guest appearances *''

Sunday Brunch ''Sunday Brunch'' is a British television programme presented by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. It is broadcast live on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings and features cookery and interviews with celebrity guests. Format The programme began on 25 ...

'' (2012, 2015) *'' The Xtra Factor'' (2012) *'' Unzipped'' (2012) *''

'' (2012) *'' Celebrity Juice'' (2012, 2014) *''

Britain's Got More Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'' (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018) *''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hos ...

'' (2013) *''

Sweat the Small Stuff ''Sweat the Small Stuff'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on BBC Three, presented by Nick Grimshaw and featuring team captains Melvin Odoom and Rochelle Humes. Humes, formerly a regular panellist, replaced Rickie Haywood Williams ...

'' (2013) *''

Fake Reaction ''Fake Reaction'' is a British television comedy panel game shown on ITV2 that ran for two series from 3 January 2013 to 6 March 2014 presented by Matt Edmondson with regular team captains Joe Swash and Ellie Taylor. Production A pilot editi ...

'' (2013, 2014) *'' Sunday Side Up'' (2013) *''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

'' (2014) *'' Virtually Famous'' (2015) *''

Celebrity Squares ''Celebrity Squares'' is a British comedy game show based on the American comedy game show '' Hollywood Squares''. It first ran from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse—from 8 Ja ...

'' (2015) *'' Alan Carr's New Year Spectacular'' (2016) *'' Who Do You Think You Are?'' (2018) *''

The Crystal Maze ''The Crystal Maze'' is a British game show devised by Jacques Antoine, based upon his format for the French game show ''Fort Boyard (game show), Fort Boyard'', and produced for Channel 4 Television Corporation, Channel 4. The programme focuses ...

'' (2020) *''

The Dumping Ground ''The Dumping Ground'' (also informally referred to as ''The DG'') is a British children's television drama series that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people who live in a children's home with their care workers in care. The s ...

'' (2021) *'' Would I Lie to You?'' (2021) *''Paul Sinha's TV Showdown'' (2021) *''

Richard Osman's House of Games ''Richard Osman's House of Games'' is a British quiz show produced by Banijay (owners of Endemol Shine UK), a branch of Remarkable Television for the BBC. The show is hosted by Richard Osman. It is played on a weekly basis, with four "celebri ...

(2021, 2022) *'' The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C (2022) *''

Saturday Kitchen ''Saturday Kitchen Live'' is a British cookery programme, that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV. History 2002–2003 After a pilot hosted by Ainsley Harriott on 14 April 2001, the ...

(2022)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmore, Laura 1985 births Alumni of Dublin City University Alumni of Griffith College BBC Radio 5 Live presenters Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Living people People from Bray, County Wicklow RTÉ television presenters Television presenters from the Republic of Ireland