Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling have asked for privacy as they mourn the tragic death of close friend Caroline Flack, who died at the weekend.
Laura – who took over from Caroline to present the winter series of Love Island – and boyfriend Iain, the show’s narrator, were close friends with the star.
And now Laura, 32, took to social media to share a poignant and powerful message.
— Laura Whitmore ⚡️ (@thewhitmore) February 20, 2020
Read more: Caroline Flack’s mum wants her ‘little voice’ heard
Laura sent the message via Twitter as she landed in South Africa to film for the show.
“I landed in Cape Town this morning and it is the first time I’ve been with Iain since Caroline passed away,” she began.
“It’s been really hard being apart. At the airport, a photographer took pictures of us both and we tried to ignore it but he continued to follow us as we got coffee and left the building.
At the airport, a photographer took pictures of us both and we tried to ignore it but he continued to follow us as we got coffee and left the building.
“So I asked him would he stop as he had what he wanted. I said we were mourning a friend and could he allow us space. He said ‘can you give me a reaction. It’s a public place and I can take pictures if I want’.
“I have never courted the paparazzi but understand at work events it comes with the territory. But this morning was too much. Iain filmed him and he didn’t like it.
“I don’t like attacking people but we need to call people out when they do things like this. Iain and I just wanted some privacy.”
Iain touched the nation when he provided a moving tribute to his friend on Monday night’s Love Island.
He concluded it by saying: “Caroline, I want to thank you for all the fun times we had making our favourite show. You were a true friend to me. I’m gonna miss you, Caz.”
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) February 17, 2020
Read more: #BeKind T-shirt launched after the death of Caroline Flack raises 300k for the Samaritans
Meanwhile, Laura paid her own tribute to Caroline on Twitter.
She shared a poem which said: “To lose someone so special is really hard to bear, it hardly seems believable that you’re no longer there. You left us far too early before your time, it seems and now you’ll never have the chance to fulfill all those dreams.
“You always lived life to the full but ours won’t be the same until the day when we can see your smiling face again.”
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