In 1987, Whittow travelled to Spain with a brief to purchase a donkey which was due to be beaten as part of a fiesta, and send it to a sanctuary in the UK. However, a Daily Star journalist achieved this before him, and his newspaper taunted The Sun over this in a front-page story. Soon after, Whittow returned to the Star.[1]
Whittow became deputy editor of the Daily Star, and edited the Daily Star Sunday from its launch until 2003, then became Deputy Editor of the Daily Express. In February 2011, he was promoted to become Editor of the paper.[1] He retired from his role at the Express at the beginning of March 2018.[2]