Love Island fans baffled by host Laura Whitmore's absence

Love Island fans were left baffled as Laura Whitmore failed to enter the villa yet again during Wednesday night’s episode.  

The host, 36, was not present when Brad McClelland left the show to save his partner Lucinda Strafford getting axed. 

Laura – who is reportedly being paid £600,000 to host – has not been present for any of the four dumpings that have happened thus far and has only featured for 12 minutes of the programme over the last three weeks.  

Staying out of it: Love Island fans were left baffled as Laura Whitmore failed to enter the villa yet again during Wednesday night’s episode (pictured on the launch show) 

Laura hosts the Sunday spin-off programme After Sun, but was forced to miss part of the first show due to quarantining upon her return from Spain where the show is filmed. 

She featured on episode one for the initial coupling ceremony but has not returned to the villa since.

The presenter’s absence did not go unnoticed by fans, with one joking that she must have been ‘furloughed’, while another penned they ‘totally forgot’ she was the host.

Elusive: Laura – who is reportedly being paid £600,000 to host – has not been present for any of the four dumpings and has only featured for 11 minutes of the programme 

Taking to Twitter, viewers noted: ‘Laura Whitmore gets £600k to present love island and I genuinely can’t remember the last time I saw her in the villa’; ‘We haven’t seen Laura Whitmore since the first episode I just realised ??? #LoveIsland’;

‘I’ve not seen Laura whitmore enter the villa once this series ?? #LoveIsland’; ‘I feel like we haven’t had an appearance from Laura Whitmore in a while and I want her back tbh’

‘totally forgot that laura whitmore presents this show where is she lmao??’; ‘Is Laura Whitmore on furlough this series orrr? #LoveIsland’; ‘me trying to work out where laura whitmore is #loveisland’;

‘But wait … when was the last time we saw Laura Whitmore? Thinking face #LoveIsland’; ‘is laura whitmore in this series? like at all? they just keep sending texts #loveisland’; ‘ Not Laura Whitmore getting presenter credits while never showing up #LoveIsland [sic]’ 

It’s all over: The host, 36, was not present when Brad McClelland left the show to save his partner Lucinda Strafford getting axed on Wednesday’s episode 

Laura took one the role of Love Island host for the first winter series of the show, which began in January 2020, weeks after former host Caroline Flack was charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton at her London home.  

Former MTV host Laura, whose boyfriend Iain Stirling narrates Love Island, admitted she was reluctant to take the job, telling Cosmopolitan UK: ‘I love doing live TV. 

‘I’d worked with most of the crew doing I’m A Celebrity… and MTV, so it just felt very comfortable. The show was the easiest thing.

Where is she? The presenter’s absence did not go unnoticed by fans, with one joking that she must have been ‘furloughed’, while another penned they ‘totally forgot’ she was the host

‘It was everything around it that I couldn’t cope with. When I got the call I was like, “I need to talk to Iain, I need to talk to Caroline..”. It’s a weird one because you think you should just jump at it. 

‘Obviously you’re delighted that ITV trust you to do such a big show, but a friend of yours is also going through hell… Caroline had messaged me first to say, “I hope you get it”, which was really nice.

‘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.’

In February 2020 Caroline died by suicide and Laura stayed on as permeant host of the ITV2 series. 

Tragic loss: Love Island was hosted by Caroline Flack but she stepped down after being charged with assaulting her boyfriend in January 2020. She took her life the following month