Love Island’s Sanam makes show history as she ‘breaks curse’ to win

LOVE Island's Sanam Harrinanan has a lot to celebrate today – and we're not just talking about the £50,000 win.

Sanam and boyfriend Kai Fagan were crowned Love Island's winter 2023 champions last night, beating out Lana Jenkins and Ron Hall at the final hurdle.

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Sanam and Kai's win has a particular significance though, as she's the first ever contestant to win the series after joining from Casa Amor.

Kai's head was well-and-truly turned from Olivia Hawkins during the second villa twist, which took place halfway through the series, sending shockwaves through the villa.

However, the pair's obvious connection, even as other islanders took exception to them, became a fan favourite, and on Monday night, Maya Jama declared them the winner after the final public vote.

As a result, Sanam has officially broken the Casa Amor curse – which more often than not sees the contestant dumped swiftly after their entry into the main villa, with islanders returning to their original partner.

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There has only ever been six contestants in the show's history that have won the show without being part of the original line-up.

Max Morley won the show with Jessica Hayes back in season one, and Greg O'Shea won the fifth series of Love Island with Amber Gill after being a late entrant.

Finley Tapp won the 2020 winter series after joining on day five, so remained on the show, and with girlfriend Paige Turley, throughout most of the run.

The same applies for Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu who entered on day three of the 2022 summer series, with her fiery relationship with Davide Sanclimenti playing out through most of the show's run.

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All the other 14 winners in the show's history were islanders who arrived and remained from day one.

To date, the winners are: Jess Hayes and Max Morley; Cara Dela Hoyde and Nathan Massey; Amber Davies and Kem Cetinay; Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham; Amber and Greg; Paige and Finn; Millie Court and Liam Reardon; Ekin-Su and Davide before finally the newly crowned Kai and Sanam.

Speaking after their win, Kai and Sanam looked completely stunned as they thanked fans for their support.

Lana Jenkins and Ron Hall were the runners-up, Tom Clare and Samie Elishi came in third place, with Shaq Muhammad and Tanya Manhenga coming in fourth.

Love Island is available on catch-up on ITVX.

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