In 2015, ITV Studios launchedLove Island UK, a reboot of the previous celebrity version of the series which only ran for two seasons (2005-2006). The revitalizedreality TVseries was such a hit across the pond that it spawned a whopping 22 different franchises across the globe – including Australia, France, andthe USA– as well asLove Island GamesandLove Island UK All-Stars, which are both available on Peacock. Ultimately, a dating show,Love Island UK,has inspired so many devoted viewers because of the Islanders;fans want to see them succeed in finding love. Young, attractive singles mix and match in “recouplings” until they find the person they want to stick it out with (if anyone) – with the potential to win £50,000 if voted the most popular couple by the viewers watching.
Throughout each season, viewers grow attached to the Islanders, both in and out of couples. While some pairings make it through to the end and beyond, many don’t, which is whyfans become so invested when aLove Islandcouple works.There are several Islanders not included here that are still in relationships, but these are the most iconicLove Island UKcouples; the ones that caused a huge stir inside the villa and kept viewers glued to their screens. The following couples were good on paper and put all of their eggs in each other’s baskets, but let’s see if any of their heads got turned after the show. Here are the 10 bestLove Island UKcouples throughoutall seasons, including the winter versions!
Love Island
15Whitney Adebayo & Lochan Nowacki
Whitney Adebayocame into theLove Islandvilla as a bombshell and boy, did she explode… into superstardom.One of the most beloved cast members fromLove Island UK, Whitney first attempted to charm André, but ended up going on a date and pairing with Medhi. After a frustrating several weeks of back-and-forth, Medhi (who did not seem as interested in Whitney as she was in him) was ousted by a public vote, leaving Whitney free to meetLochan Nowackiin Casa Amor.
In Lochan, Whitney found someone who appreciated her pizzazz and maturity, and matched her pace physically. Even though they never made it official inside the villa, the pair stayed strong for the remainder of the season, ending in a highly debated second place. About two weeks after filming the season,Lochan and WhitneywentTikTok official as boyfriend and girlfriend, and remain so. Whitney finally found her gentleman, and we love it.
14Jessie Wynter & Will Young
A farmer from Buckinghamshire,Will Young(aka, “Farmer Will”) was a goofball and an original cast member in Season 9 ofLove Island UK. He had a rocky start, first being paired with Olivia (who was stolen by Tom), and then Lana (in a friendship couple). By that time,Love Island AustraliaalumJessie Wynterhad arrived in the villa as a bombshell, and she set her sights on Will. The two got on surprisingly well, which had viewerswondering if it was toogood to be true. Then Casa Amor happened…
While Jessie remained loyal to Will during the Casa Amor shake-up, Will seemed to be feeling himself and started flirting with Casa girl Layla, even kissing her multiple times. A shock to everyone watching – Islanders and viewers alike – Will broke down in tears to Jessie and begged for forgiveness.Jessie and Will proved initial doubters wrong,overcame the Casa drama, and ended the season in fifth place. Before they left the villa, Jessie asked Will to be her boyfriend on their final date, and he said yes! They are still in love andliving it up on the farm.
13Ayo Odukoya & Jess Spencer
Ayo Odukoyaentered the Villa on day one in Season 11, and he got the fullLove Islandexperience. After testing a few connections at the start, Ayo was chosen byMimiiNgulubeand afterward the pair moved from strength to strength in their relationship. Ayo and Mimii both had a chill, unbothered vibe, and their communication was strong from the start. ButCasa Amorwas a test for Ayo, who ended up likingJess Spencerenough to bring her back to the main Villa, leaving Mimii single.This was one of the most dramatic moments in the season, as Ayo and Mimii had been such a fan favorite couple going into the Casa episodes.
Jess had a bright and bubbly energy that seemed to help Ayo come out of his shell, but people love a love-triangle, and it was difficult for viewers to accept that he had turned off his feelings towards Mimii so quickly. It was even hard for the Islanders in the Villa to let go of the will-they-won’t-they of Mimii and Ayo’s original connection, with others encouraging Mimii to renew her relationship with him. Jess' had insecurities about this issue, and her need to regularly seek reassurance from Ayo about his feelings towards Mimii even rose a red flag for his brother during the family visit episodes. Despite Ayo’s brother voicing this concern, saying he preferred Mimii for his brother’s personality, Ayo persevered in proving that he was happy in his choice, not only to his family and his fellowIslanders, but also to Jess herself. And, even though they landed at the bottom in most public votes after the Casa drama,eventually Ayo and Jess won the public over enough to place fourth in the season finale.
12Jess Shears & Dom Lever
Dominic “Dom” Leverentered the villa on day one of Season 3 and got paired up with Montana, only to be stolen the following day byJess Shears.They remained a budding couple for the next two recouplings, but found themselves among the three least favorite couples, as voted on by the public on day 17. As a result, one boy from the bottom three and one girl from the bottom three would be dumped. Jess was dumped by the boys, and Dom was saved by the girls. Typically, when one half of a “real” couple is dumped (for whatever reason), their partner leaves with them, since there is no point in staying.This is not the case with Dom.
Jess and Dom’s relationship was apparently so strong by this point thatJess had told Dom she loved him as she left. Dom, however, decided that he owed it to himself to stick it out in the villa, especially since it was still quite early days. The lovelorn Dom didn’t last much longer and was ousted ten days later; he left realizing that he didn’t want anyone else but Jess. They rekindled their romance outside the villa, and got married in October 2018. Dom is now studying to be a firefighter, and theyhave two children together.
11Cara De La Hoyde & Nathan Massey
Original Islanders of Season 2,Nathan Masseychose to pair up withCara De La Hoydeon day one, and they remained a couple until they were crowned the winners of the season. While Nathan wasn’t the typical male Islander (i.e., not a personal trainer or footballer), Cara found his sarcastic sense of humor charming, andthey hit it off right away.The earlier seasons, being a little less scripted and sanitized than the show currently is, were not afraid to show the after-hours canoodling of the Islanders once the lights went out. Nathan made waves in week one, and shocked viewers when he flat-out asked Cara for sexual favors. She declined, but that didn’t stop Nathan from humping her leg under the covers to relieve his pent-up sexual tension.
Sometimes Nathan’s sarcastic tone and temper turned against Cara, which viewers weren’t too happy with. But it was clear that Nathan and Cara were the strongest couple of the season, and when the jokesters took the time to be vulnerable to one another,the chemistry was undeniable.The Season 2 winners left the villa together but briefly broke up nine months after the show ended. They rekindled their relationship with the birth of their first child. In 2018,Nathan brought Cara back to theLove Island UKvilla where they met to propose to her; the duo got married in 2019. The pair are likely to look back at their time on the show and laugh at their past X-rated antics along with the rest of us. The nowhappily married couplehas two children.
10Sanam Harriananan & Kai Fagan
Kai Faganhad a difficult run in theLove Island UKvilla, until Casa Amor broughtSanam Harrianananinto Kai’s life and heart. Kai was an original Islander in Season 9, initially getting coupled up with Tanyel, before being stolen by Anna-May. He landed in the bottom due to a public vote, but was saved by his fellow Islanders and then recoupled with Tanyel (again). After Tanyel left the villa, Kai was paired up with Samie and then Olivia, who was often more dramatic than the understated Kai could handle.Viewers grew frustrated with Kai’s flip-flopping and indecisiveness, but it turns out that that was just a symptom of him not being in the right couple.
Kai’s journey took a massive turn when he met Sanam in Casa Amor. Free of Olivia’s melodrama, Kai was able to crack on with Sanam andfound a maturity viewers hadn’t seen until then. Sanam, a true class-act, brought only good vibes to the villa and didn’t involve herself in any theatrics. Sanam reminded viewers that singles do come toLove Islandto find love, not just fame, which endeared the couple to fans. Unfortunately, because she was a Casa Amor bombshell, viewers only got a handful of weeks with Sanam before she and Kai were crowned the winners of Season 9! Sanam and Kai are still together and (not surprisingly)still gorgeous.
9Tasha Ghouri & Andrew Le Page
Paired up from day dot,Tasha GhouriandAndrew Le Page’s up-and-down relationship inspired one of the most infamous quotes inLove Island UKhistory: “I licked her tit, or whatever.” But back to the beginning… Tasha, a dancer from Thirsk, got paired up by the public with Andrew, a real estate agent from Guernsey, andthey maintained their solid bond through several recouplings. Seeds of doubt were sown, though, when Tasha expressed to several bombshells that she wasn’t closed off, despite seeming the contrary. The cracks between Tasha and Andrew grew deeper and Casa Amor appeared to put a nail in their relationship’s coffin.
Egged on by the boys who didn’t trust Tasha’s affection for Andrew, he flirted and hooked up with Casa girl Coco, showing a “bad boy” side that fans hadn’t seen so far. Andrew followed through with bringing Coco back to the villa to find that Tasha had also connected with new Islander Billy. Both Tasha and Andrew questioned their decision to stray from each other,eventually finding their way back to one another. Andrew came clean about what he did with Coco in Casa Amor (see the previously mentioned quote), and Tasha eventually forgave him, asking him to be her boyfriend before ending the season in fourth.They are still togetherand capitalizing on theirLove Island UKfame.
8Indiyah Polack & Dami Hope
For the first few recouplings of Season 8,Indiyah PolackandDami Hopewere with different people and only saw one another as friends. Late in week two, Dami confessed to Indiyah that he felt a spark with her, and she felt the same. While Indiyah quickly cut things off with her current partner in favor of pursuing things with Dami, Dami took his time deciding between partners. But his decision was made for him when Dami’s current partner, Amber, got the least amount of votes from the public and was dumped;Dami and Indiyah were free to pursue each otherand recoupled quickly.
Casa Amor strikes again. While apart, Indiyah got to know Deji, and Dami got to know (and kiss) Summer – and both partners chose to recouple with the new Islanders. As soon as the new couples were revealed, the sparks and barbs started flying between Indiyah and Dami, for whom hypocrisy reared its ugly head. When the dust settled, though,Dami and Indiyah couldn’t deny the affection they had for one another; they became official, said those three big words (I love you), and ended as the third place couple. Indiyah has since co-hostedLove Island Aftersun, and the couple isstill together and as fierce as ever.
7Millie Court & Liam Reardon
BothLiam ReardonandMillie Courtbegan theirLove Island UKexperiences as bombshells, coming in as later additions to shake up the villa. Liam came in on day four, initially pairing up with Faye, butfound his partner in Millie when she entered on day nine. Millie chose three guys to take on dates and connected with Liam the most. The two made a charming couple that viewers were rooting for, and they always chose each other despite several interesting bombshells. When Casa Amor split the couple into different villas with a fresh crop of singles, Liam’s eye wandered, and he found himself kissing Casa girl Lillie on multiple occasions (NOT in challenges).
Millie worried the entire time Liam was in Casa, with her pals ensuring her that Liam would also stay true. Her fears were alleviated (albeit temporarily) when Liam returned from Casa single and was ready to continue their relationship.A different kind of bombshell was droppedwhen Lillie and Millie (the irony was not lost on either of them) met up outside the villa so that Lillie could disclose what had really happened between her and Liam in Casa. Millie rightfully put Liam in the doghouse for a while before he declared his feelings for her in a public poem of affection. As if she’sliving in her own rom-com, Millie forgave Liam and the two went on to win the season. After a brief break-up in 2022, thestunning twosome is back togetherand have serious relationship goals.
6Molly Marsh & Zach Noble
Molly Marshhad an unusualLove Islandexperience. She started on day one in the Villa, and her turbulent journey was one of the most memorable in her season. Molly was initially in a love triangle withMitch TaylorandSammy Root, before heartthrobZach Noblechose to recouple with her. The pair would only spend one week getting to know each other, before Molly was dumped 19 days into the season when bombshellKady McDermottstole Zach. In a season twist, Molly later re-entered the Villa after spending a week as a bench-warmer. Zach chose to recouple with Molly at the first opportunity, and the pair then continued to move from strength to strength.Zach and Molly made it all the way to the season finale, getting the opportunity to go on a final date to reflect on their journey together, before placing fourth for the season.
Their turbulent times didn’t end in theLove IslandVilla, and even though they stayed coupled up after the season ended, there have been reports that the pair broke-up in the early months of 2024. However, the time apart seems to have served them well, as the couplerecently posted photos of their first home togetheras they are taking that next step in their relationship.It seems the bond they worked so hard to nurture during their time in the Villa is shaping up to be one of the strongest to come out of Season 10.
