Love Island final – talking points: Davide and Ekin-Su crowned winners as Luca and Gemma come second

Andrew and Tasha came fourth and Dami and Indiyah came third

Davide and Ekin-Su announced as Love Island winners 2022

After eight weeks, plenty of grafting, lots of snogging – and even a little bit of crawling – the 2022 series of Love Island has drawn to a close.

Sunday night’s episode (31 July) saw Paige and Adam dumped from the villa ahead of the final after being voted least compatible by their fellow islanders and the public.

On Monday night (1 August), it was announced that Andrew and Tasha came in fourth place, and Dami and Indiyah came third, meaning the last two couples battling it out to bag the £50,000 prize were Davide and Ekin-Su, and Luca and Gemma.

After perhaps the longest dramatic pause in the history of reality TV, Davide and Ekin-Su were announced as the 2022 champions, taking the throne from last year’s winners, Millie and Liam.

Davide and Ekin-Su, who have spoken out for the first time after winning the series, were the bookies’ favourites to win this series. The pair’s best moments over the past couple of months have included Davide’s unconventional approach to the baby challenge, their brief separation when Ekin-Su crawled along the terrace for a covert kiss with Jay, and Davide choosing Ekin-Su’s banana pancakes as his favourite (take that Nathalia!).

Take a look back at the series highlights here. We also have a ranking of every Love Island series here and a round-up of all the previous winners here.

Read on for the biggest talking points from the final...

Ekinde’s love

The Italian stallion and the Turkish delight were by far the favourites to win this series and, in the final, their declarations to each other did not disappoint. “The first evening I entered the villa, I saw your face, and the spark was instant,” Ekin-Su told Davide. “Its been a hell of a ride for us, but things don’t come easy... Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither were we.” Davide told Ekin-Su: “It seems like we’ve known each other forever... when two souls are destined to be together they cannot escape each other… We have a world to enjoy together and I’m so excited about what the future holds for us.” Iconic.

Tasha’s superpower

Tasha uses a cochlear implant, having been born deaf and receiving her implant at the age of five. Throughout the series, she’s talked about how her deafness is “not a disability” but “a superpower”. When Andrew mentioned this was part of the reason he fell in love with her, it was simply too much to handle. Here’s the moment again...

Luca’s tears

Luca was in bits as he read his declaration to Gemma. It hasn’t been plain sailing for the pair on the series, with lots of bickering and stubborness along the way. Gemma managed to hold it together in her declaration, but Luca couldn’t keep back the tears. Apparently he has a whole day planned out for when he meets her family after they leave the villa – it’s all in a bid to get their seal of approval so he and Gemma can finally become official.

Dami’s shaking hands

Dami’s not the overtly emotional type, so it was quite something to see his hands quivering as he told Indiyah how much she means to him. Another absolute highlight from these two in the final (even though it was a flashback) was the replay of Indiyah playing recorder at the talent show. A moment that will go down in Love Island history.

Useful links

• How to vote on the ITV2 show using the app
• A look back over Love Island 2022’s best moments
• Meet the final four couples competing to win £50,000 prize

[1 August 2022 17:37 · Ellie Harrison]

The day of the final is here at last

Love Island 2022 is drawing to a close, meaning we can all get our lives back!

To get us in the mood – and up to date – ahead of the finale, here’s a look at what went down on Sunday night’s episode, which saw the contestants reunite with their loved ones.

Tasha’s dad went down especially well with viewers...

[1 August 2022 17:59 · Ellie Harrison]

Meet the final four couples

With Adam and Paige booted out of the villa, there are just four couples left in the competition: Luca and Gemma, Dami and Indiyah, Ekin-Su and Davide, and Andrew and Tasha.

Read more about them here...

[1 August 2022 18:30 · Ellie Harrison]

Something for the Ekin-Su fans...

Our deputy travel editor Lucy Thackray reckons Ekin-Su is the best contestant to have ever graced the Majorcan villa.

Find out why below...

[1 August 2022 19:00 · Ellie Harrison]

Just two hours to go...

To celebrate the two-hour countdown, here is my favourite still from the series...

Davide and his crisp-carrying baby (ITV)

[1 August 2022 19:30 · Ellie Harrison]

Davide and Ekin-Su are the favourites

Just 90 minutes now until the finale kicks off, and according to the bookies, Davide and Ekin-Su are odds-on to win, with William Hill placing the pair at 1/10. Andrew and Tasha are currently at 10/1, Luca and Gemma are at 12/1 and Dami and Indiyah are at 20/1...

[1 August 2022 20:00 · Ellie Harrison]

The show is being criticised ahead of the finale

While there’s a lot of excitement for the finale, and many viewers will miss the series, many others have criticised Love Island bosses for an Aftersun montage that showed former contestant Danica being repeatedly rejected.

Read more here...

[1 August 2022 20:30 · Ellie Harrison]

30-minute warning!

Just half an hour to go until the Love Island 2022 finale kicks off. Here’s a throwback to the biggest moments of the series to refresh your memory...

[1 August 2022 20:59 · Ellie Harrison]

With Davide and Ekin-Su the favourites to win...

... here’s some excellent Davide Dad content...

[1 August 2022 21:03 · Ellie Harrison]

Aaaaand we’re off

[1 August 2022 21:06 · Ellie Harrison]

It’s a champagne breakfast for the islanders on the final day... real life is going to be a shock