Laura Whitmore has canceled the next season of ‘Love Island UK’.
The Irish TV presenter has announced that she will be leaving the mega-popular ITV reality show, more than two years after she took over from former presenter Caroline Flack.
Whitmore – who was close friends with the English host – took up guest duty in January 2020 following Flack’s arrest for domestic violence in December 2019. The former host tragically died by suicide two months later.
“What news! I will not be hosting the next Love Island series,” the 37-year-old model wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
“There are certain elements of the show that I have found very difficult that cannot be changed because of the format, including flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects,” she continued.
“I wish it was still possible, but know you’re in safe hands. I was only planning to fill in Caroline for a series and it turned out to be 3 series. I hope I made you proud Caroline ❤️.”
Whitmore alluded to the show’s grueling filming schedule, with presenters having to fly back and forth from Mallorca and the UK during its eight-week run.
Her main presence during the most recent season, when Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti were crowned winners, was during the in-studio “Aftersun” specials.
She is also a radio host, the host of “Celebrity Juice,” a published author, and will soon be making her West End debut in the play “2:22 A Ghost Story.”
“Laura has been a fantastic presenter over the last three series of the show,” ITV said in a statement following her announcement.
“We are so grateful for all she has brought to the programme, but understand and respect her decision, and we look forward to working with her on upcoming ITV projects.”
Fans of “Love Island UK” will have plenty to see next year, with a winter edition planned in South Africa, followed by the standard summer series in Mallorca.
ITV has not yet announced Whitmore’s replacement.