Love Island fans were devastated when it was announced Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti, one of the most popular couples in the show’s history, had parted ways.
The Italian hunk took to social media on Thursday to reveal that he and the Turkish reality star had split after less than a year together.
They met on the ITV2 dating show last year and were hugely popular with fans, and stormed to victory in August by securing almost two-thirds of the public vote in the grand final.
“Ekin-Su and I are no longer together. I am grateful for the memories and opportunities we shared together and I wish her nothing but the best,” Davide wrote on his Instagram Stories.
“I would like for everybody to respect this decision during this difficult time, I will continue to support Ekin in any way possible,” he added.
Ekin-Su has yet to comment on the break-up, and the couple - both 28 - were last seen together at the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
As they mingled with A-list film stars, the reality TV duo appeared very cosy as they wrapped their arms around each other and posed for photos.
Days later Davide announced their year long romance was over for good.
As he thanked Ekin Su 'for the opportunities' many fans accused him of a calculated move.
"The rush to announce something like this when it’s not even done like at the same time for both of them is terrible…" fumed one fan.
"Ekin has not posted anything and he is declaring it already. Normally you would coordinate such announcements. Not impressed by this message 2 days ago she posted a picture together with him.. What happened?" complained another.
There’s much speculation surrounding their split, and relationship expert Annabelle Knight from Spin Genie suggested that their relationship changed once they left the villa.
“Love Island couples break up quickly after the villa because they haven’t come up with a plan for the outside,” she told us.
“When you’re in the villa, you’re only having to juggle that one ball. It’s nice and easy, and stress-free. When you get home, you’ve got all the boring mundane things you have to do as an adult,” Annabelle explained.
She said Ekin-Su and Davide may have realised their “summer romance” had become too serious, and they didn’t know each other well enough to carry on as a couple, enduring months of misery before calling it quits.
“I think these couples have fallen victim to only getting to know their partner on a surface level,” she shared, adding that in order to succeed outside the villa, couples have to communicate and put boundaries in place.
Annabelle used Olivia and Alex Bowen as a good example of having “fundamental” communication skills.
“They sorted out their differences and conflicts in the villa - and that is one of the biggest challenges to go through,” Annabelle, who is speaking on behalf of Spin Genie added.
Dating is “accelerated” while in the villa, as the contestants are geared towards finding a connection and winning the £50,000 cash prize - but it comes at a cost, Annabelle explained.
“They're all starting 10 steps ahead of what they would be if they were on the outside. It’s like a fast track to finding your soulmate because you don’t have to deal with anything else,” she said, calling Love Island “one big date”.
Annabelle praised Olivia and Alex Bowen as being the 'blueprint' for Love Island success in the long-term.
She said the duo, who had stormy rows in the villa, have only been able to succeed as they resolved their tension so early on.
"What I’ve seen over the years is that the couples who have successfully resolved conflict in the villa, do better when they get out. They’ve created this blueprint for themselves, they know what works for them when things get tough.
"If you can figure that out and find your feet when you’re in there, and you learn how you get through conflict together early on, then it doesn’t really matter where the conflict is stemming from - your communication is open with each other and when anything tough comes your way, you will have muscle memory and know how to respond/act.
"I always think of Olivia and Alex as an example. Alex slept with Zara early into getting to know Olivia. That is such a massive hurdle to overcome, but they did it. They sorted out their differences and conflicts in the villa - and that is one of the biggest challenges to go through. It would have been easy for them to throw it all away, but they didn’t.
"They both wanted the same thing and cared massively about each other. They worked hard and put themselves in good stead for the future. If that happened in the real world, there is no chance Olivia would have stuck with him. But because they were in that environment together and forced to sort out their problems, she was patient and he was remorseful. He wanted to make things right.”
