Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

JULIA MAJCHRZAK AND Lorenzo Alessi have been crowned the winners of this year’s Love Island on ITV2.

This year’s series was popular, with Irish islanders forming a large part of the drama.

UK viewers voted for Julia and Lorenzo as their favourite couple, beating runners-up Jasmine Muller and Kavan Murphy to the title.

Angelista Gunda and Simba Kudyiwa came in third place, with this series being the first time that only three couples have been in the final after a surprise elimination at the start of the last episode.

Julia, a 26-year-old insurance broker, entered the series late in the game as a Casa Amor bombshell (a key point in the series when existing couples are tested by new arrivals).

Julia turned the head of 27-year-old Lorenzo and booked a spot in the main house.

Lorenzo, who had been in the show since the beginning, remained a favourite with viewers and admitted he “manifested” meeting Julia in Casa Amor.

Julia told presenter Maya Jama that she felt an “instant spark with Lorenzo” but she did not expect to be standing in the final coming into the show later during the series.

The winners received a £50,000 (€58,000) prize to split between the couple. Julia suggested that the couple would spend the cash on moving in together after the series.

Now that it’s all done and over with, how good was this year’s series?

Love Island continues to be one of ITV’s top programmes, with the launch show garnering over 2.1 million viewers,

This is despite a decrease from its pre-Covid glory days which would draw up to 3.3 million viewers.

Presenter and pop culture guru, Fionnuala Jay believed that this year’s series was more entertaining and interesting compared to previous recent years.

“I think the producers recognise that after 13 seasons, a bit more needs to be done to the format in order to keep people watching,” Jay told The Journal.

Just before the final, there was a twist in which ex-contestants returned to the villa to vote for the couple they believed should be dumped.

Two couples were sent packing, missing out on an expected spot in the grand finale.

Jay believes that the show is moving further away from being solely about love and relationships.

“Even with this year’s finalists, it’s hard to discern how genuine their connections are. Other years, it’s much more obvious, one way or the other,” she said.

Over the years, islanders have gone on to have highly successful careers, such as Molly-Mae Hague from the 2019 series who this year made Forbes 30 under 30 list.

Irish islanders like Greg O’Shea and Maura Higgins have also maintained popularity through various media projects.

The 2019 series which featured O’Shea and Higgins remains the most watched of all time, according to ITV.

Jay admits that it was hard not to be invested given more Irish representation this year.

25-year-old Galway GAA star Sean ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, was an original cast member, lasting for six weeks on the show. He coupled up with 28-year-old Lola Deal, and the two remained loyal to each other before being dumped in a public vote as one of the least favourite couples.

Jay said that “the couples that do fall in love are punished by the show, so he didn’t get much air time”.

Despite the early exit, the pair revealed plans to move to Dublin together after the show.

27-year-old Dublin influencer Charleen Murphy also made a splash, with rumours circulating online in advance of her appearance in this year’s series.

“With Charleen, she is arguably Ireland’s biggest influencer who has been extremely public about her love life. For me, I wanted to tune in to see if she could find love”, Jay added.

Murphy finally arrived during Casa Amor, and although she managed to secure a position in the main villa, she was then dumped after nine days.

She coupled up with eventual finalist Kavan, but he soon chose to rekindle his romance with partner Jasmine, leaving Charleen single.

26-year-old personal assistant Victoria Onanusi from Kildare was another Irish addition.

She lasted five days in the famous villa before being dumped alongside partner Ope Sowande, a 27-year-old West End performer.

For Jay, this year’s Love Island was made more enjoyable by an Irish presence. “There is an Irish humour that we don’t often see represented on screen, so it was nice to see that.”

ITV bosses have already confirmed the show’s return next summer, but we’ll have to wait and see if any more Irish faces make an entrance.

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site