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Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling, pictured at London’s Hard Rock Hotel in November
Laura Whitmore has criticised a photographer for taking pictures of her in an airport against her will.
On Thursday, the Love Island host landed in Cape Town, South Africa, where she was greeted by her boyfriend, comedian Iain Stirling.
“It was the first time I’ve been with Iain since Caroline [Flack] passed away,” Whitmore explained on Twitter.
But a photographer began taking pictures of the pair, despite them telling him they were “mourning”.
“We tried to ignore it but he continued to follow us as we got coffee and left the building,” she said.
“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.”
Whitmore and Stirling were both friends with Flack, who took her own life on Saturday.
Whitmore said the photographer told them: “Can you give me a reaction. It’s a public place and I can take pictures if I want.”
The presenter also uploaded a video of the incident, which was filmed by Stirling.
It is not illegal in South Africa to photograph someone without their permission provided they are in a public space.
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Caroline Flack took her own life on Saturday at her home in London
“I have never courted the paparazzi but understand at work events it comes with the territory,” she added. “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.”
Stirling is Love Island’s narrator and is currently based in South Africa while the show is being filmed.
However, presenter Whitmore remains based in the UK and flies out to Cape Town any time she is needed for filming. She is due to appear in the final of the current season of Love Island on Sunday.
Last week, Whitmore used her BBC Radio 5 Live show to “call out” the paparazzi, following the death of Flack, her predecessor as host of the ITV2 show.
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