AFTER landing on her feet with a six-figure deal to host Love Island, it’s no surprise to learn Laura Whitmore had ditched her old job as a DJ.
I can reveal that after the current series of the ITV2 dating show ends, she won’t be returning to her Sunday morning programme on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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The Laura Whitmore Show has been running for four years and in that time it’s helped boost her profile, but now she is keen to make the most of becoming a household name on TV.
A TV insider said: “Love Island has given her huge exposure and a healthy pay packet, and she’s now going to exploit that to the max.
“Laura has already hinted she has other projects in the pipeline and she can’t find the time to continue with all her roles.
“So something had to go, and it’s sad for listeners that this is what’s been jettisoned as she moves onwards and upwards.”
Laura, who is married to and has a daughter with Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, launched her weekly programme, simply titled The Laura Whitmore Show, on Radio 5 live in 2018.
Then in 2020 she presented the dating contest for the first time, which prompted work ranging from ads for Nintendo to becoming a captain on ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, a job she’s now lost since the show was cancelled.
Last month The Sun revealed that during a combined 27 hours of Love Island footage on screen, she has only featured for 14 minutes — that’s despite the fact she is reportedly paid £600,000.
But talking this week she said: “They see you on telly for ten minutes, but they have no idea how much work has gone into that — especially with telly.
“Telly’s so different to radio.”
Heidi Dawson, controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Laura has made the difficult decision to leave after a brilliant four years.
“We’d like to thank her for the energy, insight and humour she has brought to this programme and look forward to working with her again in the near future.”
Hmmm, I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one . . .
A WIN? ARE YOU SIRIEIX
FRED SIRIEIX shouldn’t expect an invite to Gordon Ramsay’s any time soon.
But from the sounds of it, the First Dates star isn’t that desperate for a visit.
The maitre d’ turned Goggleboxer has declared he was shocked that their hit TV show Gordon, Gino And Fred: Go Greek had scooped a Tric award for best food programme.
He said: “I was so surprised and delighted and happy.
“I really don’t know how we won that because whatever Gordon cooked was too salty. It was too salty and Gino didn’t cook anything – he did nothing!
“But I was like, ‘We’ve won best food programme when everything was too salty?”
Asked if he thinks the trio should hand back the award, he said:
“We’re not going to do that. We’ll have it, thank you very much.”
JACQUES NO TO DATING
SOME Islanders are hot property when they leave the Love Island villa.
Troubled Jacques O’Neill has proven to be popular already – and has been approached by Celebs Go Dating after he walked out last week.
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But the lad has turned down E4’s £60,000 offer because he wants to wait for his villa lover Paige Thorne.
Jacques has admitted he needs to “work on himself” after being branded a “bully” and a “gaslighter” so he would have been an interesting candidate for the agency’s experts Anna Williamson and Paul Brunson.
A source said: “It’s very early days and bookers for Celebs Go Dating have only really just got started.
“But an Islander always makes for a great signing and Jacques is a real stand-out.”
Bizbit
BILLIONAIRE Blooms is back for more on Channel 4 after the one-off Christmas special flourished.
The four-parter, on air later this year, will follow luxury florists to the super-rich as they dress a wedding in Venice, a £25,000 party and spruce up the homes of some Cheshire Wags.
THE SIMS FAMILY REALITY
THE Only Way Is Essex star Chloe Sims and her siblings have signed a big-money deal to make a reality show on adult website OnlyFans.
Chloe, Frankie and Demi all quit the long-running ITVBe series last week and have set their sights on becoming the next Kardashians – for a cool £1million.
The series, currently called House of Sims, is in pre-production and slated for 2023. It will also star the girls’ brother Charlie and his fiancée Georgia Shults.
The show, which will air on the OFTV platform, will focus on the Sims’ life in Essex and their travels to the US, in an unfiltered docu-series style.
Chloe said: “We are all so excited and can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. Watch this space – it’s going to be huge.”
Seems they might give Kim and Co a run for their money
