SPENDING weeks on end in a bug-infested jungle might seem like a bit of a nightmare but TV presenter Laura Whitmore has a different take.
She’s currently in the wilds of Australia for ITV2’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here Now!
And as the Sunday Post caught up with her the bubbly Irish lass insisted: “This is the best job I’ve ever had.
“This will be my fifth year and I can’t believe it comes round so quickly. I look forward to it all the time especially when I look out at a rainy day back home and think that I’ll soon be heading for Australia.
“I always start to feel excited when I see the speculation about who might be going into the jungle and know it’s nearly here.”
Laura, 30, has a wealth of live TV experience from her days at MTV, attending the most hectic premieres and awards ceremonies.
And just as Ant and Dec make the main ITV show look like a piece of cake, Laura is the unflappable anchor who holds together the edgy spin-off series.
But, being 10,000 miles from home at the end of a satellite link and with mayhem everywhere, her composure is sorely tested.
“It is a little bit tough, but I love it,” laughs Laura.
“I love a challenge and shows where things are constantly happening.
“Ant and Dec will announce someone is leaving and suddenly it’s straight on to our show. Or something happens live down in camp. Or Joe Swash might have been down doing one of the Busktucker Trials and doesn’t make it back up in time.
“We do rehearse but things change all the time and I’m being told in my ear. I think that’s brilliant because anything can happen.
“A bit of pressure is good for you.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=npg7QiDSUfYWatch
as Laura Whitmore talks on the fish eye challenge (ITV)And it’s not just technical matters that have Laura on her toes literally.
“I’ve been on air when I’ve been bitten like mad by mosquitoes and we often have spiders.
“I tend to wear boots a lot. In my first year I had sandals on and the floor manager calmly said to move to my left a bit as a giant leech was trying to eat my toe.”
County Wicklow-born Laura has been a model and launched her own clothing range.
So despite the steamy heat of the jungle she always manages to look stunning.
“I have a lot of help,” she insists. “There are stylists who help me choose and we pack it all up and ship it out here. And I’ve got an amazing hair and make-up girl. An hour with her can work wonders.”
Looking bright eyed and bushy tailed is even more remarkable as the early morning broadcasts from Down Under mean working through the night shift.
“I get up around 11.30pm local time so sometimes my brain doesn’t even fathom it. Live is about 8am and I’ll go to bed about 3pm or 4pm if I’m lucky.”
Show buddy and former jungle king Joe they’re joined by comedian David Morgan rather than Rob Beckett this year is the one who gives the trials a go.
And although she did have a shot at a fish eye-eating challenge last year, Laura admits jungle life isn’t for her.
“I’d be terrible down there. I like to win and don’t think I’d do very well.
“The food would be the worst thing and not being able to smell clean.
“When the celebs come out they stink!”
London-based Laura had one other big foreign trip just before Australia and it couldn’t have been more different.
She’s been sponsoring a child in the Philippines for the past six years through charity Plan International and made a visit.
“It was lovely to meet little Aiel Joy and her family,” adds Laura. “I went with my mum and we were able to see all the work being done out there to try to make things better.”
I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here Now! ITV2, Sunday, 10.50pm.
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