Time is precious I'm not going to waste it doing things that don't serve my purpose

She walked away from one of the biggest jobs in TV. But former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore reveals that the changes she made in 2022 have been liberating, and she has no regrets

- BETH NEIL

There was something that Kim Cattrall said recently that struck a particular chord with Laura Whitmore. The Sex and the City star revealed that she refuses to spend ‘even an hour’ in a situation where she isn’t enjoying herself, and the sentiment felt so pertinent to Whitmore that she vowed to apply it to her own life.

As she sashays into 2023 having made a series of big, brave and life-changing career decisions – including quitting Love Island – it’s clear the model, presenter and actress is already putting it into practice.

‘Time is so precious and life is such a whirlwind that I’m not going to waste it doing things that don’t serve my purpose or that don’t feel right,’ she says.

‘I always like to challenge myself, and if I get a bit too safe in a job or I can’t be myself or use my voice in the way I want to – or think I should – I have to do what I feel is for the best.’

Whitmore, 37, prompted widespread surprise over the summer when she announced that, after three seasons, she was stepping down as host of the ITV2 show. As one of the most talked-about and high-profile programmes on TV, it was a huge job to walk away from.

Around the same time, she also quit BBC Radio 5 Live, where she’d presented the Sunday Session morning show for four years. Both moves took courage. But Whitmore, who is married to comedian and Love Island narrator Iain Stirling (with whom she has a daughter, who turns two in March), knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing.