Laura Whitmore

They say everyone has a novel in them but actually putting pen to paper is another story altogether (excuse the pun). Yet one of Blowouts favourites, Laura Whitmore has done just that! TV presenter and radio broadcaster, Laura is best known for her roles hosting Love Island, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, MTV and her own BBC Radio 5 Live series, The Laura Whitmore Show, and now she can add published writer to her long list of achievements!

Laura recently published her very first book ‘NO ONE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE EXCEPT FOR YOU’, and it has been listed on one of the most coveted book sales charts in the UK, the one every author wants to feature on, ‘The Times Bestsellers’! She made it to #6 in the UK and the top 5 in Ireland within just days of the books release! Congratulations Laura.

When I asked her what the driving force behind her book was, Laura explained that it was a mixture of things, “I’ve always loved the element of storytelling” she says. With her degree and background in journalism coupled with the great response she had received to several articles she’s written over the years it felt like the right time to expand upon those. “Plus there’s nothing quite like a pandemic and a lockdown to revisit ideas you’ve had and get the things done that you’ve started and not had the time to finish” Laura says. Some of Laura’s inspiration comes from the strong women in her life, many of them remembered from her childhood. In addition to her beloved Mum and Nanny, Mary Robinson stands out, the first female president of Ireland! A powerful women advocating for human rights and women’s equality, she talks about all these women and many more in her book.

Besides having the time to sit down and focus on her writing Laura feels that she’s reached the stage in her life where she now has the confidence to share her voice and more of herself. Writing this book has been such a personal thing, “the fact that people have bothered to spend their hard earned money to buy it really feels like such an honour” Laura tells me. Sara Pascoe has read Laura’s book and writes that she’s ‘like a P.T for self confidence’ so I asked, where does her confidence come from? Laura admits that actually she’s still not the most confident person but “if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?” She also says, we have to be kind to ourselves and not be afraid to make mistakes.

With music playing such a big part in Laura’s life it’s no surprise that the title for her book came from a song. ‘NO ONE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE EXCEPT FOR YOU’ is a lyric from Wilson Phillips’ song ‘Hold On’, which happened to be Laura’s very first album she bought. These are words that have stuck with her and have shaped the way she’s chosen to live her life. However, the title of the book actually came after she had written it. Laura’s inspiration being the sense of freedom you gain when you take control of your own life. She recognises that everyone experiences different levels of struggle but we can’t wait for opportunity to come to us. “We shouldn’t be putting our lives in other peoples hands. We can be our own heroines. We can create our own dreams”. You certainly don’t get anywhere without having to work for it and Laura is the epitome of a powerful woman with a strong work ethic. Having said that Laura admits to often feeling out of her depth with the many things she tries her hand at, it’s what she refers to as “imposter syndrome”, “we are all faking it until we make it” she says. Somebody once told her that it’s good to have butterflies when approaching something new “it’s good to challenge yourself, you want to constantly explore different areas to find out what makes you you” Laura tells me. I asked Laura what’s been the best advice you’ve ever been given, “don’t listen to others advice” she responds laughing, “everyone has opinions on your life and how to live it but its up to you as to what you chose to listen to, ultimately you have to go with your gut instinct and always try to stay authentic, we’re all constantly learning”.

If any of you tune in to Laura’s BBC 5 radio show or have ever heard any of her successful “Cast Away” podcast you may well have noticed how many famous and successful people talk about this ‘Imposter syndrome’. As someone that is not famous I find it really surprising to hear these hugely successful people talking about themselves in this way. Laura explains “everyone is human, and for them, often what all of us see as success doesn't actually feel real to the individual who’s got it”. It’s very easy for us all to place celebrities on such high pedal stools and forget that they are just like each and every one of us, they fart and poop too! Seriously though, we all know how social media has a tendency to mislead us into thinking that everyone, especially those in the limelight, like Laura, live a fun filled, love filled, perfect life, so I asked Laura, how do you feel you portray your honest, authentic self? “Authenticity is important, but I don’t have to share all parts of my life with everyone. Everybody needs to stop putting so much pressure on social media, social media is NOT real life!” This is so true, unrealistic expectations are all too often caused because society has access to everyone’s lives, it’s been said before and it will be said again, most people only share the best bits. Social media is a great platform if its understood and used well, Laura does this by promoting causes and charities she believes in, she shares the fun moments of her life and gets across many important messages in hopes of helping people, in essence she’s doing her bit and using her status to try and make the world a better place.

On that note, Laura is currently working with WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue as an ambassador for their Ocean Hero Campaign. Tanya Steele, Chief Executive at WWF said ‘Every second breath of oxygen we take comes from the ocean, but the pressures we are placing on th UK seas, from pollution to overfishing, mean they now need urgent life support. Just as we rely on our oceans for their natural resources, our oceans rely on us to keep them healthy”. The campaign highlights how, collectively, we can help put our seas on the path to recovery. With two thirds (67%) of Brits already claiming to be passionate about taking care of the ocean and its wildlife there’s every hope that we can all become Ocean Heroes. There are several simple steps we can take, to find out more visit https://www.wwf.org.uk/ocean-heroes.

Returning to Laura’s book, I asked her if writing her book has helped her see herself with more clarity? She tells me “writing in any form is important, getting your feelings down on paper, published or not is helpful”, advice I certainly believe and trust in, it can certainly be very therapeutic and prevent you from saying things in haste!

To finish with I read Katherine Ryan’s statement on Laura’s book ‘like a glass of wine with your smart, funny friend’ to which Laura responded “Ohhh to have a nice glass of wine in the bath with a good book would be great, it’s been a while since I’ve had wine!” Of course Laura and her husband Ian Stirling are expecting their first born any day now, beginning the next chapter in their own story, for which all of us at Blowout wish them all the very best, extremely exciting times ahead for them.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you go get yourself a copy of Laura’s book ‘No One Can Change Your Life Except For You’, there’s even a copy bought and paid for by Laura herself tucked on the shelves at Kilburn High Streets WHSmith’s, waiting for one lucky shopper! If there’s ever a time for change, now is it and Laura, like us all, is learning and growing. She is a force to be reckoned with and so are YOU.

Laura’s book “ No one can change your life except for you” is out now to buy.

Words by Dawn Collins

Photography Erica bergsmeds

Hair and Make up Ninni Marklund Mighty

Layout/art dir Erica Bergsmeds

Editor Noha Ben Ismail