Laura Whitmore opens up
Laura Whitmore caught up with Cosmopolitan UK for a chat about her time on Love Island this week.
She also spoke about the death of her close friend Caroline Flack and its impact on her.
Laura was presented with the opportunity to host Love Island's winter series earlier this year.
It's after her good pal Caroline Flack stepped down from the role following her arrest for assault late last year.
With Caroline's blessing, Laura took on the role as host of the dating series and did an amazing job.
However, she was initially hesitant as she didn't want the paparazzi attention that comes with being the host of Love Island.
She said, 'You do a show that big and people want to write about it and put it in tabloids and magazines.'
'So I knew, yes, it’s got great parts to it, but it’s also got negative parts too.'
While the paparazzi attention played a big role in her decision, there was something else bothering her.
She was worried about her friend Caroline, 'Obviously you’re delighted that ITV trust you to do such a big show...'
Laura added, 'But a friend of yours is also going through hell.'
The TV presenter revealed Caroline actually messaged her first to say, 'I hope you get it,' which Laura admits, 'was really nice.'
She said, 'You’re like, ‘Oh yay, I get to do this but, no, this isn’t how I want to get to do it. It was a really weird way to get a job.''
'When I got the call I was like, ‘I need to talk to Iain, I need to talk to Caroline...’'
Caroline's death
Just as the winter series was coming to an end, Caroline tragically took her own life.
Laura told Cosmopolitan, 'It still doesn’t sink in. You just forget that happened. It’ll never be OK and it’ll never be right.'
She admitted her friends death, 'scared,' her because she always, 'thought Caroline was really strong.'
The 34-year-old added, 'She was so strong-willed and feisty and I remember thinking, ‘God, I wish I could be as strong as her.’'
'I felt like if people said things, it wouldn’t bother her. But obviously it did because everyone is human.'
Laura said, 'I don’t want to speculate reasons because nobody will ever know. [But] it did frighten me.'
Being kinder
Caroline faced a lot of backlash online following her arrest.
Her death seems to have highlighted the impact negative comments online can have on a person's mental health.
Laura said, 'I think we do forget that what you say hurts people’s feelings. We can all learn from that.'
Laura pointed out, 'It’s like going back to school when we were younger in the playground.'
'You could say something about someone in the yard and it really affects them.'
'It just happens now on a bigger scale.'
The Love Island winter series host is hopeful that change will happen when it comes to online abuse.
She believes, 'The comment section on certain outlets should be banned.'
'Some of the things people say are absolutely vile, so don’t allow a space for those kinds of people.'
It's unclear whether the summer series will go ahead this year however, it's believed bosses are considering a UK based villa.
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