Laura Whitmore shows off her quick step to boost earnings
One of Ireland’s most successful broadcasters operating abroad, Ms Whitmore is now reaping the dividends from her high profile work with MTV, BBC, Channel 4, and ITV in the UK.
The Wicklow native recently added to her coffers — and her growing profile — by appearing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing that regularly attracts audience figures over 10m.
The 31-year old was voted out as the sixth contestant in the current series, but any disappointment will be tempered with the knowledge that her own entertainment firm continues to prosper.
During the year, Ms Whitmore renamed the firm Yer Wan Ltd — it was formerly Laura Whitmore Ltd. The presenter’s Twitter profile, followed by over 395,000, refers to Whitmore as ‘Yer wan off the telly’.
The new accounts show that accumulated profits at the firm last year increased by £175,051 going from £328,438 to £503,489 (€599,509) in the 12 months to the end of March of this year.
During the same 12-month period, the firm’s cash pile reduced from £369,476 to £179,303.
However, the amount owed to the firm by debtors last year increased 30-fold going from £16,371 to £507,199.
The profit increase of £175,051 follows profits at the firm of £131,879 in the prior year.
The lucrative 2015 and 2016 that Ms Whitmore has enjoyed reflects the former DCU media student’s meteoric rise in the UK show business industry.
At the end of March 2012, Ms Whitmore’s firm’s accumulated profits stood at £20,648 with cash of £26,982 showing that her accumulated profits have increased 24 fold in the space of five years.
The presenter’s appearance on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing meant that she was unavailable to be part of the 2016 edition of another top rated show in the UK, ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get me out of Here.
Ms Whitmore had worked on the reality TV show since 2011.
Last year, Ms Whitmore announced that she was leaving MTV News after a seven-year sting at the helm of the show, but would continue to work at MTV on other projects.
The Bray woman studied journalism at Dublin City University where she edited a student magazine and worked as a researcher for Newstalk radio station for a period.
In 2008, Ms Whitmore entered the Myspace/MTV Pick Me competition and beat off 3,000 other hopefuls to win a coveted MTV news role on the international music channel.
Reporting from music and film festivals around the world, Ms Whitmore has interviewed some of the biggest names in show business including Robert Downey Jr, George Clooney, and Coldplay.
In a recent press interview, Ms Whitmore, commenting on her work, said that, “at the end of the day, as much as I enjoy it, it’s a job” and declared that she wants to do more live TV and host bigger shows.
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