Ekin-Su and Davide have been crowned the winners of Love Island, winning the show’s £50,000 prize money.
The pair, both 27, said they “couldn’t believe” they’d won, describing their time on the show as a “dream”. Ekin-Su Culculoglu is an actress and model from Essex, while business owner Davide Sanclimenti is from Rome, Italy.
During an ad break, ITV2 played a trailer for Big Brother, confirming rumours that the reality show will be revived on the channel in 2023.
Presenter Laura Whitmore announced Ekin-Su and Davide as the hugely successful ITV2 dating show winners during Monday’s live final.
The couple will share the £50,000 prize money. A previous show tradition was dropped this year, which gave one couple of members the chance to “steal” the jackpot for themselves.
Speaking to Whitmore earlier in the episode, Davide said it was “100% a dream to be here with her [Ekin-Su]”. Ekin-Su said: “It feels so surreal, finding the man of your dreams and just growing; I’m lost for words.”
She described her relationship with Davide as “absolutely bonkers, crazy, romantic and fun”.
The couple’s win was welcomed by viewers on Twitter, with journalist Monifa Bobb-Simon writing: “Ekin-Su carried this show. She and Davide’s mess was a chaotic masterpiece. The right winners.”
Author Toni Toni said: “Our Turkish Delight and her Italian Stallion are so deserving! TV gold! This season should be renamed Ekin-Su Island because it would have been dry without her!”
Writer Chanté Joseph described Ekin-Su as the “people’s princess”, while radio presenter Yasmin Evans added: “This is Ekin-Su’s world, and we just live in it.”
Blogger Em Sheldon tweeted: “Ekin-Su and Davide are proof that we want to see islanders over 25 falls in love, too, please.” And in an article published ahead of the final, Lucy Thackray of the Independent described Ekin-Su as “the greatest Love Island contestant of all time”.
Earlier in Monday’s final episode, the islanders were seen taking part in a salsa lesson with professional dancers, who taught them some Latin moves ahead of the Love Island summer ball.
At the ball, the couples read letters about their journey throughout the series before showing off their dance routines and finally jumping into the Mallorca villa’s swimming pool.
This series of the ITV2 dating show has been popular with viewers, with most episodes attracting an audience of more than three million.