Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has confirmed Paige Thorne and Adam Collard’s split.
Last month, a report claimed the couple were “on a break” after a video of Adam cosying up to another girl after a night out went viral.
The pair fueled split speculation when they deleted all traces of each other from their Instagrams and now, their Love Island co-star Ekin-Su has confirmed their break-up.
The Turkish actress, who won the 2022 series of dating show with Davide Sanclimenti, told The Mirror: “It’s over. It’s done. I think Paige can do better, that’s all I can say.”
“Love Island is a bubble, it’s almost like a different world – it’s not real. But, when you come out and get… Men will love the attention when they come out, it’s overwhelming but, Adam’s already had that. So I just felt it was a bit wrong.”
“I was not happy about that because I thought they were great. I like Adam, he’s a lovely guy I just didn’t think it was fair on her,” she added.
Reports of Paige and Adam’s rumoured split came after a video of Adam cosying up to another girl in McDonalds after a night out went viral last month.
A source told The Sun at the time: “Paige is really upset by everything that has gone on and feels like she is being humiliated.”
“She believes Adam didn’t do anything and knows women throw themselves at him. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t find it difficult when people start gossiping about their relationship and share it on social media.”
“Paige had told Adam she needs a break and to spend some time away from him,” the source continued.
“She is new to the spotlight and it is hard when claims about your boyfriend are being sent around thousands of times on Snapchat.”
“Life has been non-stop for Paige since she left the villa and some downtime with her friends and family is what she needs – and what she has chosen to do.”
Adam’s rep issued a statement on his behalf after the video of him and the mystery girl went viral last month, telling The Sun: “Adam headed to McDonald’s after a night out with friends.”
“His friends were alongside him when a group of girls asked for photos and Adam being his friendly self was open to posing and chatting to the girls, alongside other fans who wanted to chat in the same video.”
“Adam understands how this video looks but wants to state that he left the restaurant with his friends and a box of 60 nuggets (with nothing or no one else) with the intention of getting home safely. Adam and Paige are currently dating and Adam only has eyes for her.”
The mystery girl from the video recently defended Adam, insisting he did “nothing wrong” and that their encounter was “innocent”.
Paige and Adam struck up a romance on Love Island this summer, after the 26-year-old re-entered the villa as a bombshell in a shock twist.
The personal trainer, who originally appeared on the show in 2018, set his sights on the Welsh paramedic the minute he joined the show – but she had been coupled up with Jacques O’Neill at the time.
However, Jacques then made the shock decision to leave the villa, as he confessed to his fellow Islanders that he wasn’t “being himself” and was “struggling”.
In an emotional scene, the 23-year-old told Paige he was going to wait for her on the outside, and urged her to enjoy the rest of her time on the show. However, Paige went on to pursue a romance with Adam.
The pair made it through to the semi-final, and were dumped from the villa in fifth place, narrowly missing out on the final by one day.
The Love Island 2022 finalists were Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti, Gemma Owen and Luca Bish, Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope, and Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page.
