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TV personality Laura Whitmore recently announced that she would not return to Love Island as a host. She has been the presenter of the popular ITV2 dating show for three seasons.
Laura posted her exit news on Instagram, citing "difficult" elements in the show's format. She further claimed that it was not easy for her to fly back and forth to South Africa. Since the dating show's fans learned about her exit, they are rooting for Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu to take Laura's position.
Ekin was the winner of Love Island UK Season 8, alongside Davide Sanclimenti. The couple was the fans' favorite islanders on the show.
Fans want season 8 winner Ekin-Su to host Love Island
Before Laura Whitmore, the late Caroline Flack was the host of Love Island. But the latter left the dating series in December 2019 after being arrested for alleged assault allegations. The following year, in February, the reality TV star was found dead at her home.
Since Caroline's exit, Laura has been hosting the show but has never been a fan favorite. In fact, viewers were not very upset with the news of her quitting the popular dating series.
They shared their opinion on Twitter, where the fans have put out names of who they would like to see as the show host. They have named Maura Higgins, Nella Rose, Maya Jama, and Mariam Musa as the candidates. However, the majority have voted for Ekin-Su.
Take a look at the fans rooting for the Season 8 winner:
What did Laura Whitmore's exit post read?
Laura Whitmore clarified through her Instagram post that she was only filling in for Caroline, but now she would like to move on.
Laura's post read:
“I won’t be hosting the next series of Love island. There are certain elements of the show I’ve found very difficult that cannot be changed some due to the format, including the flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects.”
Speaking about her decision, an ITV2 spokesperson told The Guardian:
"Laura has been a fantastic host across the last three series of the show. We are so grateful for everything she has brought to the programme but understand and respect her decision, and we look forward to working with her on upcoming ITV projects.”
Only time will tell who will be hired as the host of Love Island UK, which is all set to return with the winter season at the beginning of 2023.
Meanwhile, Laura is ready to debut on the West End stage with a play titled 2.22 - A Ghost Story. She will star opposite Matt Willis, known for featuring in Footloose, Flashdance: The Musical, Wicked, and Waitress.
In an interview, Laura shared her excitement as she said:
“I am a huge fan of the previous productions and delighted to be getting stuck in with rehearsals and working alongside such a hugely talented cast and team.”
While Laura has bid farewell to her former hosting gig on Love Island, her husband, Iain Stirling, continues to be the narrator of the franchise. Stirling is currently the narrator of the US version, where Sarah Hyland is the host.
