This is exactly what all the Love Island winners spent their prize money on

In the Love Island final the winning couple takes home £50,000. It was previously an option to split or steal the cash, but so far, every couple split the prize fund. How Islanders spent their winnings has been different from couple to couple.

From splashing the cash on handbags and trainers, to sensibly putting it into savings – here’s exactly how each of the Islanders spent their winnings.

Molly Smith and Tom Clare

Molly and Tom won the first ever All Stars version of Love Island, and quite soon after the show they jetted off on a first-class trip to Dubai with the prize money. Fair enough. They stayed at Rixos Premium Dubai, a £215-a-night all inclusive hotel and spent around£7,500 each on first-class tickets.

Jess Harding and Sammy Root

After winning the 2023 show, Jess and Sammy said they want to spend the money on their families. They said they’d like to “treat their loved ones to something nice” using the £50k from the show, and revealed plans to go travelling together.

“I feel like we want to go to Far East Asia,” Jess said, in the first interview they did outside the villa. “We definitely want to do that. We’re not in a rush to get a house. We’re both 22. We’re both young and we want to see the world, that’s something I have always wanted to do.”

Sadly, the couple broke up just weeks later, so I think the holiday money was probably put elsewhere. After the split, Sammy said he’d bought his mum a necklace and taken his family for a fancy meal, but other than that hadn’t spent a penny.

Sanam Harrinanan and Kai Fagan

I’m calling it now, Sanam and Kai are the most wholesome winners Love Island has ever crowned, and how they’re spending their cash proves it. They said they’ll use some of the money to go on their first holiday together, but the rest they want to use to set up a business to help children. Whilst on the show, the pair bonded over their similar caring careers – Kai is a school teacher and Sanam is a children’s social worker.

“Before I came in here I wanted to start up a business and help kids get into physical activity,” Kai said. “I don’t want to turn my back on teaching, working with young kids and think I will use some of that [the money] to do that. I am not sure yet in what capacity.”

Sanam added: “That’s similar to me. I came from social work – working with children who have been adopted. I know that sometimes in my area there can be limited services, so for me I want to be able to do something to aid and support them, being an advocate for them.”

Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti

Davide and Ekin-Su are the 2022 champs of Love Island, having won the series by a landslide. 2022 was the first year where the winning couple was not given the split or steal option, so they automatically walked home with £25k each. The pair have shared the wholesome way they want to spend their winnings – going on holiday with their mums.

Talking to CapitalXTRA Davide said: “I’m going to buy a trip for my mum. We are thinking we will go to New York with me and Ekin and our mums.”

Millie Court and Liam Reardon

Millie and Liam won the 2021 series, and then a year later announced they had split. In an interview with ITV after they won, Millie shared that the first thing she wants to do with the cash is treat her friends and family. “I want to give back to them and do something for them,” she said.

Liam said he also wants to “look after” his family back home and  “spoil them as they’ve always done the best for me”. He added he will definitely be putting money towards a house. But naturally, they also splashed £1,500 of the money in a huge designer gear haul straight after the show, too.

Paige Turley and Finn Tapp

Paige and Finn won the 2020 winter series together. Paige opened the £50k envelope and decided to split with Finn, and the couple are still together today. However, the year after their Love Island win the UK was plunged into a nationwide lockdown and travel was off the cards, so they didn’t exactly have the best options for splashing their cash.

“Well, we haven’t had the chance to really spend any of it”, Finn told the Metro. “Just cooking bits, food… That’s about it, really. We haven’t had a chance to do much with it. We’ve got an Xbox that’s keeping us entertained. A camera for some photos but that’s as exciting as it gets. I certainly do want to buy a few bits. That’s the thing, as well… You’re looking at some clothes online and you’re thinking, ‘That looks really nice’. But you think, ‘I can’t spend my money on that, where would I wear it? Just in the back garden?'”

Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea

Amber and Greg broke up just five weeks after the show and it’s alleged that he dumped her by text. It’s not surprising that people thought Greg had used Amber for the money, coming in late and coupling up with her because she was popular with the public. But she said she doesn’t want his share of the money (that she decided to split) back.

She told Fabulous magazine: “Nah, he can keep it. I needed someone else to win and we won it together. I don’t hate him, I’m just disappointed in him really.” Amber said she plans to spend some of her Love Island winnings and put the rest in savings. She told Closer: “I’ll probably treat myself a little bit, but I’m going to invest and be careful with it.”

In an interview Greg admitted to being a “boring old fart” with his half of the money. He said: “I just saved it. I actually kept it in an English bank account and waited for the conversion rate to improve before bringing it across [to Ireland].”

Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham

The Love Island 2018 winners Jack and Dani also broke up after the show. Talking about what she did with the money, Dani said: “I put it into savings because I want to get a mortgage. That is what I did. I’m not one of those to splash out and stuff, I mean things that I have got, like nice things I have got, I have had for years and years. I did just save most of it really, I mean a lot of it goes on your bills and stuff doesn’t it.”

Jack has been more private about what he spent his split of the £50k on. However since the villa he’s got himself some sparkly white veneers – so maybe some went on those?

Amber Davies and Kem Cetinay

Love Island 2017 winners Amber and Kem definitely know how to the splash the cash. Amber told The Sun: “I bought myself a Chanel bag. I thought to myself, ‘well I did win the show’ so I treated myself to a celebratory Chanel bag. Just one handbag isn’t going to hurt is it? Kem has bought hundreds of trainers, trainers and trainers and trainers. I leave that to him. He has spoilt me rotten too though. I feel so lucky.”

Unfortunately the pair also broke up, six months after winning the show together.

Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey

Cara and Nathan won Love Island 2016 and are still together now. They’ve got married and share a son called Freddie and a daughter named Delilah. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, both of them spent their cut of the money on their families. Speaking after the show Cara said: “I can’t wait to get home and now I can buy my mum a house and give her the deposit for it.” Nathan said that he also wanted to treat one of his parents, saying he was going to use the money to take his dad on a golfing trip.

Jessica Hayes and Max Morley

Jessica and Max won the first series of Love Island back in 2015. They broke up six weeks after the final. Neither of them have said what they spent the prize money on. However, Jessica has admitted she wishes she had chosen money over love in the final and kept all £50k for herself. “Don’t fall in love and just take the fifty grand,” she added.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• This is how long all the past Love Island winning couples lasted together

• Ranked: Who actually is the richest Love Island winner ever?

• These are the Islanders who went back to their day jobs after being on the show