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This article contains spoilers for the Love Island final.
The winners of the latest season of ITV2’s popular reality show, Love Island, have been revealed.
During Monday’s live finale, hosted by Maya Jama, Toni Laites and Cach Mercer were crowned the champions.
The winning pair secured the public vote and the £50,000 prize, surpassing fellow finalists Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley, who finished in second place.
Yasmin Pettet and Jamie Rhodes secured third place, while Angel Swift and Ty Isherwood finished fourth.
Toni Laites made history as Love Island UK’s first American contestant upon entering the Villa this summer.
“Thank you to the UK,” she exclaimed after her victory with partner Cach Mercer.
Immediately following the episode, Newsbeat spoke with Harriet and Georgia, self-proclaimed Love Island “super-fans,” to gather their reactions.
“I’m absolutely thrilled. I’m not gonna lie, it’s like Christmas Day,” said Harriet.
“They so deserved it. It feels like the international Love Island family coming together to celebrate our Toni.”
Georgia added, “100% the right couple won.”
“I feel like it was a close call but they definitely deserved it.”
Toni and Cach’s journey on Love Island was not without its challenges. Early in the series, Toni initially chose to couple with Harrison over Cach.
Following the re-coupling, Cach was visibly upset and found solace in fellow Islander Ty, a moment Georgia highlighted as significant.
“I think where the season was going, almost questioning how genuine a lot of the couples were, it was really nice to see raw emotion coming from someone who was feeling real feelings,” she stated.
“Especially it coming from a man, because I think we just don’t see that enough. We don’t see men showing their raw emotion.”
“I think it’s one of those things that should be celebrated.”
Harriet concurred, adding: “It was really moving to see someone so in touch with their emotions and really let it out.”
“It’s actually really powerful to see him own it, and encourage other men to be in touch with their emotions.”
Dejon Noel-Williams and Meg Moore narrowly missed the final after being dramatically dumped during Sunday’s episode.
Former Islanders returned to the villa and voted them the least compatible remaining couple.
Love Island’s popularity has surged this year, fueled by the success of its US counterpart and increased social media engagement.
ITV has reported that this series is on track to be the most successful since Series 9 in January 2023.
The network also noted a 9% year-on-year increase in streams on its subscription service, ITVX, and data from TikTok revealed that over 1 million users have followed the official Love Island account this year.
Earlier on Monday, ITV executives announced a third season of Love Island All Stars, which will feature returning fan-favorite islanders.
The new series is scheduled to air early next year and will take place over six weeks in South Africa.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.
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