Laura Whitmore is using her voice

“I can’t tell my arse from my elbow,” scoffs Laura Whitmore as she huddles in a small attic room above the Noel Coward Theatre in Leicester Square. It’s a sweltering day in May and she’s taking a quick break from rehearsals for her starring role in the play, The Girl on the Train, based on the best-selling psychosexual thriller. Although she is better known for her stints as a host on Love Island and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Whitmore is currently proving her acting chops can command audiences both on the couch and in the mezzanine.

A whistle-stop tour of the forty-year-old Irish TV personality’s career starts with winning a competition to become the face of MTV. It was the type of dream you never think actually comes true, like winning a car off the back of a crisp packet, but her playful charm and comedic timing made her a natural for the small screen, launching her straight to the top of the game. Now, she has worked for every major media outlet in the world, is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has even written an award- winning debut short film, Sadhbh.

Predictably, getting a slot in Whitmore’s schedule is hard to come by — she’s even scheduling her best friends in for coffee dates months from now. Their WhatsApp group has become a battleground for whoever’s proposed dates get the most likes in the chat. “We’re such losers,” she says, breaking into laughter. The warmth of her personality is unmistakable and she’s already stuck into asking me questions about where I grew up.

After some obligatory Irish small talk about our favourite places to visit back home, we poke fun at how calling our mothers is like dialling into a switchboard that tells you only two things — death notices and who’s shagging who. “I think I’m nearly more Irish by not being in Ireland,” she says — the experience of moving to London and finding yourself harping on about things you didn’t take any notice of at home, like Guinness and spice bags, is a universal one. “So many of my friends from different countries find their heritage is stronger here because you’re struggling to find your identity,” she explains.

This excerpt was taken from HUNGER Issue 35: F**k it. Stay tuned for the full story