LAURA Whitmore has revealed how Caroline Flack wanted her to land the Love Island gig, just days after she stepped down as host.
The presenter, 34, was on her way to celebrate her mum’s birthday in Ireland when she got a call from ITV asking her to come in for a meeting.
Love Island’s Laura revealed Caroline wanted her to land the presenting gig
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, Laura recalled the “whirlwind” few days following Caroline’s departure.
Holly asked: “When did you know you were doing the show? When did you get the call because that was all a bit whirlwind, wasn’t it?”
Laura, who appeared live from the villa in Cape Town, replied: “Yeah, it was a little bit of whirlwind. When Caroline stepped down she actually sent me a text message saying, ‘I really hope you get to do this series.’
“But then there was speculation in the papers and I know as much as everyone else knows.
The 34-year-old gave fans a glimpse of the famous villa on This Morning
She was quizzed by presenters Holly and Phil today
Laura received a text from Caroline after she stepped down
“It was before Christmas and I was flying back to Ireland because it was my mum’s birthday. I was at the airport and I got a phone call from my agent saying the producers of ITV will like to meet with you for a meeting in a few hours. I thought, I’m at the airport, it’s my mum’s birthday, so I can’t make that meeting.
“Then I thought, hold on a minute I’ll ring up Mammy Whitmore, which I did. I said, ‘How do you feel if I come tomorrow instead of today.’ And she said that was ok. Thankfully, that’s why I’m here now.”
And despite being presented with the opportunity to appear on the same show as boyfriend Iain Stirling – the voiceover for the ITV2 hit Laura revealed she’s yet to see Scotsman.
She added: “So far Holly I haven’t seen him. If anyone has seen Iain, I would like to know where he is.
The Irish star has already started filming scenes for the ITV2 hit dating show
She landed in Cape Town earlier this week
Caroline stepped down from her position as host
“He is due to arrive today. He’s in the voice over booth, which is a bit further down in production. He’ll be in the voice over booth and I’ll have to make do with the villa.”
When asked by Phil if the couple were set to film spin-off show AfterSun together, Laura denied the rumours.
“Yeah, AfterSun is filmed in London and we need Iain here to do the voice over every single day. I said I’ll take one for the team and I’ll host AfterSun,” Laura said.
The commitment will see Laura fly between South Africa and the UK on a weekly basis.
Iain and Laura will not be filming AfterSun together
She continued: “Its a little bit further than Majorca- it’s quite a long trek. Luckily there isnt much of a time different, so jet-lag hasn’t been too bad so far.”
Laura previously revealed how Caroline had been incredibly gracious since she quit after being charged with assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton.
In an exclusive interview, the Irish star told The Sun: I know shes got a strong network of people around her who are supporting her throughout all of this.
She has been incredibly gracious and supportive of me taking on the role for thewinter series.
Shes a brilliant host and I just hope that I can give the role the justice it deserves while she is taking some time off.
The Irish star is said to be earning 500,000 for deputising for Caroline, 40, who stepped down after cops were called to her London home after she allegedly hit Lewis, 26, with a lamp while he slept.
Bookies priced Laura at 1/50 to host the summer series too, which will air just months after Caroline faces court in March.
