TV

Love Island’s Laura Whitmore ‘choosing love’ after difficult week after death of Caroline Flack


Laura Whitmore is preparing for tonight’s Love Island finale (Picture: ITV)

Laura Whitmore is choosing love and keeping positive as she prepares for the Love Island live final tonight.

The TV presenter is mere hours away from announcing the winners of the first winter series, but the final week of the series has been marred by the tragic death of the show’s former host, Caroline Flack.

Caroline and Laura were close friends, and since the news broke Laura has been a spokesperson urging others to be kinder in honour of her friend, who died by suicide on 15 February.

Posing in a pink leather suit in a Choose Love t-shirt behind-the-scenes of Love Island in South Africa, the star wrote on Instagram: ‘So many emotions ahead of [Love Island] the Live Final tomorrow from 9pm [ITV2].

‘Been a tough week, let’s give all the love to the islanders. Who’s your favourite couple?’

The post comes after she landed in South Africa on Thursday, only to have her emotional reunion with boyfriend and Love Island voiceover Iain Stirling ruined by an invasive photographer at the airport.

Laura and Iain will be closing doors to the Love Island villa later tonight (Picture: ITV)

The pair decided to confront him and ask for privacy, with Iain filming the altercation and posting it online later.

In the video, the clearly distressed pair’s requests to be left alone were ignored as he continued to snap, before pleading ignorance about why they would be upset, claiming he wasn’t aware their friend had died.

He then continued to photograph them anyway.

Laura and Iain were reunited on Thursday following Caroline’s birthday (Picture: Getty)

The day after Caroline’s death aged 40, which was confirmed to be a suicide by coroner’s and lawyers, Laura appeared on BBC Radio Five Live with a powerful statement telling people to think before they speak going forward.

She continued: ‘Caroline loved music, she loved to dance. We shared many a dancefloor; gigs, festivals. I met her just shy of 10 years ago at V Festival and then we became friends.

‘She was bubbly and for such a small stature, commanded a room. She loved to laugh and had the most infectious chuckle.’

Laura has been struggling with the loss of her friend Caroline (Picture: @thewhitmore)

Laura continued: ‘She also had many struggles. I’m not going to pretend that she was perfect, but is anyone? She lived every mistake publicly under the scrutiny of the media. Caroline loved love.

‘That’s all she wanted, which is why Love Island is so important to her because the show is about finding love, friendship, having a laugh.’

Defending Love Island, Laura continued: ‘The problem wasn’t the show, the show to work on is loving, and caring and safe, and protective. The problem is the outside world is not.

‘Anyone who’s ever compared one woman against another on Twitter, knocked someone because of their appearance, invaded someone else’s privacy, who’ve made mean, unnecessary comments on an online forum need to look at themselves.’

Love Island finale airs tonight at 9pm on ITV2.



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MORE: Sophie Gradon’s mum wants ‘circus’ Love Island scrapped after Caroline Flack’s death: ‘She was thrown to the wolves’

MORE: Caroline Flack told Danny Cipriani ‘she had to plead guilty’ in final text to ex sent day before death





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