EXCLUSIVE: Laura Whitmore says ‘Yes, people want to tear me down’

Sep 4, 2015

Laura Whitmore has become something of a fashion icon over the past few years so it's no surprise that Brown Thomas and the ISPCC chose the MTV presenter to front their annual charity fashion show.

Before today's show kicked off at Dublin's Intercontinental Hotel, we went behind the scenes with Laura to ask her all about her views on bullying, fashion… and Electric Picnic.

The Bray native rocked the show wearing a Peter Pilotto black dress with multi-coloured and lace details, available in Brown Thomas now.

"It was so hard to pick just one dress! I love Brown Thomas because they have so many brands to choose from… but I went for this dress because I fell in love," she explained to SHEmazing!.

When asked what her top picks for the A/W season will be, she told us, "I can't wait to get back into wearing knits, they're so versatile – it doesn't have to be just a thick Aran jumper, you can dress them up or dress them down and they're so comfy."

The 30-year-old star has worked with the ISPCC on previous anti-bullying campaigns, and though she was lucky enough not to have faced bullying as a child, she says children have it a lot tougher these days. "It was a different kind of place back then, we didn't have social media, so when people got bullied, it was on the school grounds," she recalls.

As a hugely successful presenter and model, Laura is no stranger to the spotlight, and she says she can empathise with teens who feel all eyes are on them. "You don't know who you are, you are still finding yourself… so you have all these worries and still, people want to tear you down."

Ms Whitmore admits that she is very comfortable in her own skin as an adult and even though she might come across the odd Twitter troll, she ignores them.

"I'm working so much and constantly busy so if anyone tries to put me down on social media, I don't see it, I ignore it, I'm happy with who I am," she says.

Many girls look up to her as a style icon, but we wanted to know where Laura's influences came from growing up. "I had many. Music was a big influence; Debbie Harry was a major icon for me, the Olsen twins, Grace Kelly for her sophisticated class… it's a big mix."

The I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here NOW! host also has a very exciting month ahead as she is getting set to launch her first ever jewellery line.

"I teamed up with Daisy jewellery because I have always loved their stuff," she says.

"I sketched all the pieces myself, so they're very personal and true to me… I'm so excited."

The MTV presenter is only home from London for the weekend before jetting off to Australia next week. So what are her plans while she's on home soil? Electric Picnic of course.

"I can't wait to see Blur," she says. "It's going to be a great weekend.