Laura Whitmore left her gig to present live on BBC Radio 5.
The 37-year-old DJ will not be returning to her Sunday show after the current series of Love Island ends in August.
Her eponymous program has been running for four years and according to The Sun, Laura is keen to make the most of becoming a household name on TV after the exposure it has given her.
Hang up the headphones: Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore has quit her BBC Radio 5 live presenting gig, with sources claiming she plans to focus on her TV presenting work
Heidi Dawson, head of BBC Radio 5 Live, told MailOnline: ‘Laura has made the difficult decision to leave after four brilliant years.
“We would like to thank her for the energy, insight and humor she brought to this program and look forward to working with her again in the near future.”
A TV insider also told The Sun: “Love Island has given her massive exposure and a healthy pay packet and now she’s going to make the most of that.
Exciting: The presenter is looking to make the most of becoming a household name after the exposure Love Island gave her (pictured hosting Tuesday’s show)
“Laura has already hinted that she has other projects in the pipeline and can’t find the time to keep up with all her roles.
“So something had to go, and it’s sad for listeners that it’s been thrown away as she moves onward and upward.”
The Irish star, who is married and has a daughter with Love Island narrator Ian Stirling, launched her weekly program in 2018.
She began hosting the hit dating show in 2020, followed by a contract from Nintendo to appear in one of their commercials and a starring role in ITV2’s now-cancelled Celebrity Juice.
Missing presenter: It was reported last month that Lauren appeared in just 14 minutes of Love Island this series, despite earning a rumored £600,000 to host the show
Last month The Sun revealed that during Love Island’s combined 27 hours of on-screen footage, she only appeared for 14 minutes – despite the fact she was reportedly paid £600,000.
The star has since made several more appearances on the show, including hosting the post-Casa Amor reunion.
Laura’s absence didn’t go unnoticed by fans, with one asking on Twitter: ‘Where is Laura Whitmore??? She sure isn’t getting paid for this gig #LoveIsland.’
Another person asked: “Where the hell is Laura Whitmore? What are they paying her for?? #LoveIsland.’
Out of sight? Last month it was reported that during Love Island’s combined 27 hours of on-screen footage, she only appeared for 14 minutes
“We haven’t seen Laura since the first episode, where is she?” asked another viewer.
While someone else posted, “So, um, where’s Laura Whitmore? Does she not like this show? #LoveIsland.’
And another member of the audience asked: ‘Where’s Laura? All these texts look silly #loveisland.’
A Love Island spokesperson said: “As regular Love Island viewers will know, the host has never appeared in every episode of the series. As always, Laura’s next arrival will be a surprise to islanders and viewers alike.
MailOnline contacted a representative for Laura for further comment at the time.
In addition to the main show, Laura also hosts Aftersun on ITV2 every Sunday.
The Irish presenter previously took to TikTok to share a short clip addressing the comments she often receives about her work – ahead of the start of this year’s series.
anyone out there Laura’s absence didn’t go unnoticed by fans, with one asking on Twitter: ‘Where is Laura Whitmore??? She sure isn’t getting paid for this gig #LoveIsland’
She hit out at what she gets paid to host Love Island, with one online comment saying: ‘Laura has the easiest job on TV! She gets £50k a minute. This is an outrage!’
Referring to her husband Ian Stirling, who narrates Love Island, the presenter said: “First of all, Ian has never paid attention to the money he earns. Why don’t we like women earning money?’
It comes after it was announced that Love Island will return for two new series in 2023.
The hugely popular ITV2 dating show will return with a special winter edition in January, before the main summer season airs just a few months later from the beloved Mallorcan villa.
Paul Mortimer – Director of Reality Commission and Controller, ITV2 – said: “Love Island has once again proven to be the nation’s favorite talking point of the summer and we are always delighted by the show’s continued impact and conversational appeal with younger audiences.
Trolls: Laura Whitmore hits back at fans who call her ‘dumb’ and say she’s ‘too old’ to host Love Island
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