Love Island UK's Jess Harding and Sammy Root Break Up 2 Months After Winning Competition

Jess Harding and Sammy Root are no longer on island time.

The Love Island UK couple has called it quits just two months after winning the 10th season of the dating game show. 

Sammy confirmed that the two were longer together shortly after breakup rumors surfaced online. "Yes, we had a private conversation but this was left up in the air as Jess is still away and we haven't had a chance to speak in person," he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 3. "For me to then see this today via the media that we had officially broken up came as a total shock."

He continued, "To be totally clear—I at least wanted to see if our relationship could be saved and felt this would be the respectful way forward. We had the most incredible experience winning Love Island and I genuinely saw a future with Jess."

The 22-year-old added that he "was committed and respectful to the relationship," though "things don't always work out the way you'd hope for."

"Despite how all this has played out today, I think Jess is an amazing woman," he wrote, "and genuinely wish her the best."

Jess has not publicly spoken out about the breakup, but she did share several photos from her trip to Ibiza amid news of the split. One mirror selfie posted on Instagram Stories Oct. 3 showed the 23-year-old rocking a white bikini, while she snapped a picture of the beach in another post.

The former couple's love story began on the fifth day of Love Island UK's filming, when Sammy entered the villa and chose Jess as his date. They continued to partner up throughout their time on the island—with the one exception during the competition's third week, when they were banned from coupling together after a group vote—and ultimately took home the top prize in July.

"I never ask someone to be my girlfriend if I didn't see myself marrying them," Sammy said in a joint interview with OK! magazine in August, with Jess adding, "I agree."

As she explained, "There's no point thinking you're going to be with someone for a short time."

E! News has reached out to Jess' rep for comment but hasn't heard back.

So, which Love Island couple are still together? Keep reading to find out.

The 2021 Love Island UK champs brought their love story out of the villa and into the real world in August 2021, after their loyalty was put to the test in Casa Amor during season seven. 

The lovebirds announced their breakup on social media in July 2022, but reconciled almost a year later. 

Millie and Liam starred in a McDonald's campaign togetherIn August 2023, before jetting off to the U.S. for a vacation at Universal Studios Florida and Walt Disney World.

 

The two found love on season two of Love Island USA, which aired in summer 2020. They announced their breakup in January 2021.

Ah, young love. The winners of the inaugural season of the U.S. version (who paired up on day one and never parted) dated for several months before calling it quits at the end of 2019. "The breakup was mutual and we have left on amicable terms," Zac wrote on his Instagram Stories. "We simply wanted different things."

In her own statement, Elizabeth added, "Although I had wished things could've turned out differently life doesn't always work out the way we could've hoped sometimes."

The runner-ups dated for several months before calling it quits in late November 2019, posting statements on their respective Instagram Stories. "Alex and I are no longer together," the lacrosse coach shared. "Sometimes it just doesn't work out."

Alex explained that "heartbreak is hard," adding, "Our story was a Fairytale romance for me, but sometimes things just don't work out."

While they didn't win, the fan-favorite couple tried making long-distance work, traveling to spend the holidays together. However, Caro publicly announced that she ended the relationship in a July 2020 YouTube video. "I just don't feel like he was committed to the relationship like I was," she said. "So that's why I decided to break up with him."

After delivering one of the U.S. version's most unexpected couplings, with Kyra choosing to leave the show to see if she still had a shot with Cashel after sending him home…except he had already come back, the musically inclined couple, who started their own YouTube channel, split in October.

But by the end of November, they had reconciled, confirming to fans on Instagram that they were back together.

Alas, they ended their relationship for good (at least for now?) in February 2020, with Cashel learning on the #NoFilter podcast that Kyra had unfollowed on him on social media. "We had a good go," he said. "I think we're just in different places in our lives...I think she blocked my number, to be honest."

Cash is now dating Alexandra Karacozoff.

Despite the other couples in the villa and most of America not fully believing in their future, Weston and Emily managed to date IRL for a bit before going their separate ways. While neither publicly commented on the split, Emily revealed in an Instagram post that she was spending Valentine's Day solo.  

The Love Island UK couple walked away from the villa as winners on season 10, but called it quits just two months later in October 2023.

According to Sammy, the breakup came as a "total shock."

"We had a private conversation but this was left up in the air as Jess is still away and we haven't had a chance to speak in person," he wrote in an Instagram Story at the time. "To be totally clear—I at least wanted to see if our relationship could be saved and felt this would be the respectful way forward."

Sammy added, "Despite how all this has played out todaym, i think Jess is an amazing woman and genuinely wish her the best."

The winners of the first-ever winter season of Love Island coupled up almost immediately, staying together despite all of the obstacles the villa presented.

They moved in together in 2020, but called it quits three years later. 

'We're still really good friends," Paige shared during a June 2023 appearance on Love Island: After Sun. "I think we drifted apart."

Winter Love Island 2020's Siânnise and Luke found love in the villa and, after coming in second place on their season, went on to date for about a year before ultimately breaking up in November 2021.

The scaffolder became one of the most hated men in the U.K. when he dumped fan-favorite Shaughna Phillips for Molly during his stay at Casa Amor, with the public eventually voting the pair out of the villa.

And while the two stayed together for three years once off the island, they reportedly went their separate ways in September 2023.

While he started off season six as a fan-favorite, Nas ended up losing support after breaking things off with Demi Jones to be with Eva post-Casa Amor.

Nas and Eva, however, remained together despite being voted off the show, and they made their relationship official in July 2020. 

The pair sparked engagement rumors in August 2023 when Eva was spotted with a ring on that finger during a romantic getaway in Greece.

One of the winter season's most unexpected couples went on to come in third place, though they split a couple of months after leaving the villa.

"We've completely called it off now. I think it was brought about more from his behalf than mine, but we're mutual and friendly," Demi told MailOnline in June 2020. "With lockdown, it drove us apart and we live so far away from each other. I feel like there wasn't a lot of effort made with communication, so we drifted as a result."

Luke has since coupled up with season five's blonde bombshell Lucie Donlan, with the pair confirming their romance in July 2020.

Season six's low-key pair came in fourth place, going on to date for several months before breaking up in June 2020. 

"To confirm, myself and Ched have split, we are still good friends and I wish him all the best x," Jess informed her Instagram followers. "Thanks for all the support you have given us since the villa."

Sigh, this one stung. Don't you just hate it when the winning couple is one of the first ones to split? After getting together just weeks before the finale, with Greg being one of the last Islanders to join the villa, the fan-favorite pair managed to win season five. But they broke up just weeks later. 

After some mild controversy and back and forth between the couple over how exactly the split went down (apparently Greg, a rugby player based in Ireland, ended it via text), Amber said on Loose Women, "I think the careers and the distance was always a factor. It was always something that we knew about, so I don't know what changed. I kind of wanted to make it work, but it is what it is, really."

As for Greg, he defended himself, saying on RTE's The Late Late Show, "She lives in the UK, every brand wants to work with her, every event wants her there, of course, she deserves all of it and I decided to come back to Ireland and do my thing here."

After a dramatic start to their romance, the Instagram influencer and the boxer quickly became season five's most solid couple...which is why it was so surprising when they came in second.

But the young couple are still together and seem happier than ever, welcoming daughter Bambi in January 2023 before getting engaged exactly six months later.

Arguably one of season five's most polarizing pairs after enduring their fair share of drama, Curtis and Maura proved their doubters wrong: the couple is still together, with Maura currently competing on Dance On Ice in the UK and Curtis, a professional ballroom dancer, landing a gig on Greatest Dancer. They are one of just two remaining couples from their season in the villa.

"I think trust one another, don't believe everything you read in the press and one main thing: don't let fame get to your head," Maura said on UK's This Morning of how they've made their relationship work. "You just need to stay grounded."

Unfortunately, the pair broke up in March 2020. 

"Curtis and I have made the decision to separate," Higgins wrote in a note posted to her Instagram Stories. "We enjoyed a great experience from our time in the villa and want to thank everyone for supporting our relationship."

While they got together later than a majority of the couples in the villa, with the fan-favorite Ovie making his debut during the infamous Casa Amor episodes and India joining even later, the pair made it to the finals, coming in third place. 

Shortly after winners Amber, Ovie's BFF, and Greg announced their split, the professional basketball player and the model quietly parted ways as well. 

"Obviously it's difficult, but any break up is difficult," India told the MailOnline. "It's even more difficult when it's in front of the rest of the world, but I'll be fine. I'm lucky I've got a really close group of girlfriends, they've been really looking after me."

Fans were surprised when Lucie and Joe, who first paired up together on day one before he was voted out of the villa and she quickly moved on by dating multiple other men in the villa (and admitting to having serious feelings for a taken Tommy), revealed they were dating after their season ended.

But just like their initial romance, the surfer and the sandwich maker's second attempt fizzled out, with the couple splitting in early December 2019.

While they were the second season five couple to call it quits soon after their time in the villa came to an end, Anton and Belle remained friends, though he ruled out any chance of a romantic rekindling.

"No, definitely not, it's just not that type of relationship," the fitness app creator told Mail Online. "We're so friendly now, it would be like dating your sister, effectively. It's not that kind of relationship anymore."

Just when viewers were worried all hope was lost for season three fan-favorite Camilla, Jamie, a Calvin Klein model who also read books (a.k.a. a villa unicorn), entered late in the game and it was clear who he had shown up for. Swoon. 

While they ultimately finished in second, Camilla and Jamie have been going strong ever since their first meeting in 2017. In fact, they even started their own company, Love Jamila.

The couple married in September 2021 and share two daughters: Nora Belle (born May 27, 2022) and Nell Sophia (born Oct. 27, 2020).

Despite her surprise early ouster from the villa (with Dom choosing to remain in the game) and the cheating allegations that followed, Dom and Jess proved to be one of the series' strongest love stories, continuing their relationship after he was voted off the show. 

The season three couple wed in October 2018 and welcomed their first child, son Presley, one year later. They added to their brood again in June 2022 with the birth of their second son, whose name has not been publicly revealed.

Talk about the ultimate Love Island success story: season two's winning pair after meeting in the villa in 2015.

After Cara learned she was pregnant with their first child in May 2017, the couple briefly split before reconciling and welcoming their son, Freddie, in December 2017. Nathan proposed to Cara in July 2018, bringing her back to the place where it all began—the villa, of course—to pop the question.

The duo exchanged vows in June 2019. 

After coming in second place on the 2016 season, Alex and Olivia got engaged the following year, with Olivia even appearing on an episode of Say Yes to the Dress to find her dream wedding gown. 

The season two pair exchanged vows in a September 2018 ceremony, with their wedding process and life was newlyweds being documented for TLC's Olivia and Alex Said Yes and then Olivia and Alex: Happily Ever After.

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