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28 January 2025, 21:37
Despite winning Love Island back in 2023, Sammy and Jess called it quits shortly after filming ended. Here is everything you need to know about their break-up and what they've said about each other since.
Sammy Root has returned to our screens as a bombshell on Love Island All Stars, however many fans are keen to learn what went down between him and his ex-girlfriend Jess Harding.
The couple had a rocky time on the show, with Sammy and Jess often bickering whilst trying to salvage their connection. Despite their tumultuous time on the island, the pair were crowned the winners of season 10 and left the series in a relationship.
However this all came to an end shortly after leaving the villa, with Jess and Sammy announcing their split a mere two months after winning Love Island.
But what happened between Sammy and Jess? Here is everything we know about their break-up.
A couple of months after they left the villa, Jess and Sammy announced they had parted ways. Taking to Instagram to touch on his split, Sammy wrote: "I thought I would come online to address today's news about me and Jess.
"Yes we had a private conversation regarding our relationship but this was left up in the air as Jess is still away and we haven't had a chance to speak in person. To be totally clear – I at least wanted a face-to-face conversation 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. I was committed and respectful of our relationship.
"Unfortunately things don't always work out the way you'd hoped. Despite how this has all played out today. I think Jess is an amazing woman and genuinely wish her all the best."
Watch Jess and Sammy talk weddings here:
Love Island winners Sammy & Jess talk babies and weddings...
Speaking about their break-up, Jess told fans during a Q&A session on Instagram: "I really don't want to go into detail by doing a big statement but we're just very different and behave differently and that's it."
Soon after Jess's statement, Sammy appeared on the Staying Relevant podcast with Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks where he spilled more details about their split.
The Love Island winner said: “Long story short, we spoke and for like a week or something things were all over the place."
Sammy continued: "There’s a lot of pressure when you come out, I think Jess was struggling more with it.
"We kind of on the phone said – you know how you say in the heat of an argument ‘We’re done’ – we did that a couple of times and ended up sorting it out."
He added: "Then the third time, she was in Ibiza, so I thought ‘When she gets back, even if we talk and meet and say it is done, then fine, whatever.'
"Then I just woke up a couple days later and it was just in the press. I was like ‘Alright… guess I’m on my own!'
"We did end of nice terms, we’re still fine. I said hello to her at Pride of Britain.
"[I told her] I was going to post [a statement] later, because obviously she had said we were done, but no one’s heard anything from me."