Blow for Laura Whitmore after her second show in months is axed after just one series
FORMER Love Island host Laura Whitmore has seen her Prime Video show, Date My Mate, axed after one series.
The programme saw singletons put their romantic affairs in the hands of their pals using an exclusive dating app, helping them swipe, match and message their way to a meet up.
It is the latest blow for the presenter after ITV announced it had axed her Sunday programme, Laura Whitmore’s Breakfast Show,
A TV insider said: “Love Island is a distant memory and she has ceased hosting her weekend show on ITV1, so this is a rather disappointing hat-trick of farewells.
“Laura seems to have tried a variety of projects after leaving the villa, including chat shows and documentaries, but it seems even the familiar territory of a dating show isn’t a safe bet.”
Laura, who is married to Love Island narrator Iain Stirling. stepped down as show host after three years, in 2022, citing “conflicting projects” as a contributory factor.
That year she began providing the voiceover on six-parter, Date My Mate.
As it was on a streaming service its viewing figures are unclear.
Then in 2023, Laura started hosting her Sunday morning chat show on ITV1, where she was joined by a series of celebrity guests.
But ITV announced in February that it was being replaced – by Farmhouse Breakfast hosted by Jimmy Doherty alongside celebrity chef Shivi Ramoutar.
Last year she also made three-part documentary series, Laura Whitmore Investigates . . . which looked at sensitive subjects that predominantly affect women — cyber stalking, rough sex and incels.
The show first aired on ITVX then this year on ITV1, when between 96,000 and 146,000 watched.
It remains to be seen if that will return for a second series — but I won’t be holding my breath.
Prime Video declined to comment.
G’Wed hits the G-spot
LOVE Island has competition – from comedy series G’Wed.
The new series, which follows a group of Liverpudlian teenagers, was crowned the second-highest streamed show of the year behind the six-week-long ITV dating show this week.
Nearly 5million viewers tuned in to watch the series, which launched earlier this year.
The streaming news comes at the right time for the broadcaster, which is next month celebrating the UK premiere of another series set in the Orphan Black universe.
Starring Keeley Hawes and Krysten Ritter, Orphan Black: Echoes follows Lucy, a lab-created woman who wakes up with no memory.
The full box set of the drama will be available to stream on ITVX from May 16.
SI: NECK HAS BEEN ON LINE
SIMON COWELL is surprised he has not lost his head after years of his Britain’s Got Talent winners entertaining at the Royal Variety Performance.
The media mogul jokes to The Sun’s TV Mag, free with the paper tomorrow: “Sometimes I think, ‘Oh God, if this act wins and they perform in front of the royals . . .’ In the olden days, I probably would have been beheaded.”
Simon is also working on three new shows, one of which “goes back to where we started – people who are undiscovered”.
He added: “Since The X Factor came off-air and you look at the amount of UK artists who’ve broken globally, you can see (its) impact.
“I still have that strong urge to find or help new artists,
“I’m working on something along those lines.”