Inside Sammy Root and Jess Harding’s split after winning Love Island

29 January 2025, 21:21

Sammy Root and Jess Harding were together for just 2 months after Love Island
Sammy Root and Jess Harding were together for just 2 months after Love Island. Picture: Getty/Jess Harding/Instagram

By Kathryn Knight

Why did Sammy Root and Jess Harding split two months after winning Love Island? Here's what happened between them.

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Sammy Root has returned to the Love Island villa for All Stars as a bombshell, almost two years after winning season 10 with ex-girlfriend Jess Harding.

In 2023 he walked into the villa as a bombshell and is returning once more as a bombshell, with the hope of finding love amongst the likes of Catherine Agbaje, Grace Jackson, Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Tina Stinnes.

When he took part in Love Island season 10, he quickly hit it off with Jess Harding who he went on to win the show with, but they didn’t stay together very long and broke up less than two months after winning the £50,000 prize.

But what happened between Sammy and Jess after Love Island and why did they split?

Jess Harding and Sammy Root split two months after Love Island
Jess Harding and Sammy Root split two months after Love Island. Picture: Getty

Why did Sammy Root and Jess Harding split?

Sammy and Jess announced their split just a couple of months after leaving the Love Island villa in 2023, with a source saying their relationship ‘changed’ once they returned to their normal lives back home.

An insider said to the tabloids at the time: “Jess and Sammy have called it quits. Things have changed since leaving the villa and Jess has realised they're better off as friends.”

Jess was in Ibiza with her friends when news of their breakup emerged, but Sammy claimed he found out they were over ‘via the press.’ On the Staying Relevant podcast he said they’d said ‘we’re done’ numerous times before finally breaking up.

“Long story short, we spoke and for like a week or something things were all over the place. There’s a lot of pressure when you come out, I think Jess was struggling more with it.”

Sammy Root is heading back on Love Island for All Stars
Sammy Root is heading back on Love Island for All Stars. Picture: ITV2

He continued: “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!’”

Sammy added that they ‘did end on nice terms’.

Sammy Root is returning to Love Island for All Stars
Sammy Root is returning to Love Island for All Stars. Picture: ITV2

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