'Tulisa doesn’t give a sh!t what people say’: Laura Whitmore on fame, fashion and her celebrity friends
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'It really upset me!' cries the ITV2 presenter, Laura Whitmore, when we discuss Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’ A-List break-up, earlier this year.
The host of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here Now! (the companion show to ITVs I’m A Celeb…), might be unlike most of the world’s women in that she is genuinely sad that the much fancied Johnny Depp is now single, but such a reaction from Laura is unsurprising.
The 27-year-old from County Wicklow may have interviewed everyone from Robert Downey Jr to Marilyn Manson in her four year presenting career (for MTV and now ITV2), but you’ll hear nothing but empathy from her, when it comes to the private lives of others.
Stylish: Laura shows off her fashion savvy for website, todayimwearing.com
Friends in starry places: Laura is friends with X-Factor judge Tulisa Constavrolos (left), while her boyfriend is the Corona's Danny O'Reilly (right)
'I don’t want to see pain written across someone’s face', she affirms. Perhaps such compassion comes from the fact that Laura is now, arguably, a celebrity in her own right.
Arriving in London in 2008 - with a degree in journalism from Dublin City University and a childhood ambition to be Lois Lane - after beating 3,000 hopefuls to win the 'Pick Me, MTV!' competition to find the channel’s newest recruit, Laura’s first ever gig was interviewing the mighty Coldplay.
Since then it’s been all go, with plenty of hilarious hurdles along the way. 'You have to get over your embarrassments in this industry.
'I interviewed P Diddy once and I only had 10 minutes with him, but he just wouldn’t answer any questions. He just kept on saying 'your eyes are amazing', even though he was wearing sunglasses and actually couldn’t see anything.
'I think he was still drunk, in fact... But, you know, you get on with it and it’s funny. Most people are good, as I have a cameraman with me, so they feel like they have to be lovely, as he’s filming!
'The nicest was Dave Grohl [of the American rock band, The Foo Fighters]. He was my idol and everyone kept on telling me that he’s the nicest man in rock and he really is.'
Favourites: Laura loved interviewing the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl (rleft) and Rihanna (right) but didn't enjoy the P Diddy experience
Fellow Irishman: Laura is good friends with fellow Irishman abroad, One Direction star, Niall Horan (far left)
And what of the people, or comments, that aren’t so nice? In an age of constant scrutiny, 'The Whitmore' (as she calls herself on Twitter, where she has a huge following) stresses that they only thing to do is not get bogged down in it.
'Like with Tulisa. I know her really well and she doesn’t give a sh*t about what people say. I am sure she’s had her tears, after the year she’s had, but she is so strong. You have to be strong in this industry.'
It’s made Whitmore protective of her two year relationship with fellow Irishman, Danny O’Reilly, frontman of the indie rock band, The Coronas.
'I think you have to make the decision whether or not you want to be open about your relationships”, she says.
'Someone like Rihanna is very open. I’ve interviewed her a few times and she’s very genuine. That’s just her.'
It may be Rihanna’s way, but it’s certainly not Laura’s, who adds that despite interviewing every rock outfit out there ('I believe it has the power to change your life' she says of her love for music) she’d never interview her own boyfriend.
She will, however, admit that dating a fellow globe-trotter is not always easy, especially having been stranded in the Australian jungle for the past month, with Get Me Out of Here Now!.
'It’s ridiculously hard. But every relationship is hard. Even if we both worked 9 to 5 jobs, we’d have our own troubles', she says diplomatically.
She laughs when I suggest that she’s a rock chick - 'my boyfriend is the least rock ‘n roll person ever!' – but admits that while she doesn’t see herself moving back to Ireland anytime soon, Irishmen have do something about them.
'Loads of my friends ask me to set them up with Irish men. I think that’s why Colin Farrell has done so well – he can get away with anything, because he’s got that cheeky chappie Irish thing going on.'
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I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! may have been as tear-filled as ever this year, but Laura’s tweets – often with a 'mooning' Joe Swash, her fellow Get Me Out Of Here Now! presenter, in the background – suggest that the presenting cast, at least, is a happy one.
'It’s impossible not to get on with Joe. We share adjoining apartments. Ant and Dec [who present the main ITV show] are in a snazzy villa. But they have an office there, they are always working!' she quickly adds.
Speaking of prime-time telly, can we draw her into the X Factor debate? 'I loved Ella. I thought was going to win', she says, although she also loves James Arthur and insists that winning X Factor is not paramount to success.
'Look at One Direction (she’s great friends with Niall O’Horan) they came fourth. And Little Mix and Cher Lloyd'. She even cites the madcap double act, Jedward, who are 'huge in Scandinavia, they even have their own Easter eggs!'
Would that be the ultimate gig, then, X Factor? 'Who wouldn’t want to do X Factor? Dermot’s so good at the job, though', she notes, describing the presenting world as a small, but supportive one.
'I started at MTV at the same time as Jameela [Jamil] started at T4 and I took over Get Me Out Of Here Now! from Caroline [Flack] and I was really worried about taking over from someone so good, but our presenting styles are very different.
'Holly [Willoughby] and Fearne [Cotton] are right up there with the big jobs, so I don’t see them as much, but they are lovely.'
I mention that there could be a few presenting vacancies, now that the multi-tasking Fearne Cotton has gone on maternity leave and she laughs, though you can sense a strong ambition lurking.
Well, I’d love to try everything, even if I am rubbish at it!'
Laura will be sharing her outfits on todayimwearing.com until Christmas Eve.
Laura will be sharing her outfits on todayimwearing.com until Christmas Eve.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2244525/Tulisa-doesn-t-sh-t-people-say--Laura-Whitmore-fame-fashion-celebrity-friends.html#ixzz2ETsdK3nZ
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