Laura Whitmore has opened up about the press attention surrounding her personal life.
The Irish TV presenter, who is currently dating Love Island commentator and comedian Iain Stirling, opened up about her relationship in a new interview with the Sunday Independent.
When asked if the early press attention put pressure on their relationship, Laura said, “Yeah. I think I’ve become more guarded than I probably would have been initially. But then I also learned a while ago to own it. I’m going out with him for a long time.”
“Long enough to know. People wrote about it and guessed. Then one day we just decided to own up. I said, yes, I am going out with him. That’s it. Full stop. Move on.”
When asked about Iain claiming that he was “punching” above his weight being with Laura in a recent interview, she replied, “He’s not!”
“I think he was saying it because he’s a comedian and he was trying to be funny,” she continued.
“Also you shouldn’t be forced into talking abut things you don’t want to talk about either, because I am not a reality star. I’m not selling my life. And it is that thing as well with women who are single. It is OK to be single. It is OK not to have a child at 30.”
Laura recalled Jennifer Aniston’s article for the Huffington Post in which she slammed the press for constantly speculating over when she’ll eventually start a family.
“I think things are changing for women now. We are getting our power back,” Laura said.
When asked what she thinks is the “biggest misconception about her”, she replied, “That I think I’m great, because I don’t. Or I’m up myself.”
On her flaws, Laura said, “I have loads of flaws. I over-think everything. I have insecurities. I talk too much. I talk too much because that’s my job. I get paid to do it. I fill in space. That’s an Irish thing as well. We don’t like pauses. Sometimes it’s nice to not talk.”
Laura continued, “When I first started out working in a newsroom I felt worthless. It wasn’t about the people around me. It comes from myself, because sometimes you go: ‘Am I any good at this?’ or ‘What’s the point of this?’ Everyone has self-doubt.”
“But we all have days when you don’t feel great. That’s why I say there is a lot of pressure on social media. People can look at my Instagram and say, ‘She’s got a great life’. But it is not real life. It is life through a filter.
“I think even I do it. I can be scrolling through and see something and go ‘They’re doing that. Should I be doing that?'”
