Winning Love Island is basically the millennial dream. One moment you’re a normal (extremely attractive) person, the next you’re the Nation’s Darlings, loved up, newly minted and the toast of the town. We spoke to winners Greg and Amber about what is feels like to have won the whole damn thing.
‘It’s amazing’ says Amber. ‘We’re so surprised but yeah, it feels amazing.’
The couple weren’t the favourites to win the series, most people thought Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury were a sure thing. Were Greg and Amber surprised to have finished first?
‘It never even came into both of our heads that we’d even get into the final let alone win’ says Greg. ‘the thing so I think you saw by our reactions how shocked we were. It’s incredible though. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. This morning we looked at each other and had a bit of a giggle, so my god, we’re just very lucky people.’
Much of the surprise at Greg and Amber winning the show stems from the fact that Greg was a relatively late addition to the party, arriving at the villa less than two weeks before the final, something that Greg is fully aware of, saying: ‘It’s actually bizarre like, I’m in the door two weeks.’
He puts his success down to being coupled up with Amber, saying ‘I think my girl Amber had paved the way for us. She’d been through such a journey and people really got on board with what she’d been through and how strong she was. I was just lucky enough to come in and meet her and let her enjoy her last few weeks in the villa and we came out on top.’
It’s well documented that while the villa might look like paradise, it’s got some strict rules, so being back in the real world must be something of a relief. How have the happy couple been celebrating their new-found freedom?
The extremely rock and roll answer is: an early night. Amber explains: ‘We just had a couple of drinks with the other finalists and then we went straight to bed because we were feeling absolutely knackered. I think we were both a bit overwhelmed. And then yeah, just been chilling, getting prepared for coming home.’
And the plan for when they get home? ‘I think you’re going to jump on your dog’ Greg laughs, and he’s quite right.
‘Yeah can’t wait to see my dog and bring Greg to meet my dog, he’s like my baby so I can’t wait to see him and give him loads of kisses’ Amber agrees. ‘And also eat sushi, I’m going to take Greg on a sushi date’
‘I’ve never had sushi’ confesses Greg.
The big question for any Love Island couple is what the future holds. Will the relationship be able to survive outside the villa, with all of the pressures of the real world, and their new found fame
Greg thinks so. ‘Me and Amber just get each other. The most attractive thing about her is that she’s so open and honest. She backs herself and I love that about her. I just can’t wait to go out into the outside world and show her off and see where the future can take us.’
Given that, despite similar sentiments, none of the couples from last year’s series managed to make it work on the outside, how will Greg and Amber try to make sure that this two-week long love manages to go the distance?
Amber says that the key is going to be taking it slow. ‘I think for us both personally we never really wanted to rush anything so we’ll just continue that on the outside and just make the effort to see each other. I think if we just put the effort in it’ll be fine.’
Not everyone was cheering on team GrAmber, the series’ villain, Michael, was sceptical about their ability to bring it home. Amber was surprised to hear that Michael had commented on their likelihood of winning, but didn’t seem offended, saying
I mean I don’t think any of us were expecting it just because it was such sort of short period of time that we were coupled up for and there were lots of strong couples who were boyfriend and girlfriend. I’m not shocked that Michael was surprised. But I knew how great I was so…!’
On the topic of Michael, who Amber had a three-week long relationship with which ended during a brutal recoupling, does Amber still harbour any resentment towards him, or has she moved on?
‘I’m definitely more level headed than I realised’ Amber reflects. ‘I’m quite a strong person I can get through anything, and that even though you have not very good, shit times you can come out the other side better. Everything happens for a reason.’
In fact, Amber is so zen about the whole thing that she thinks there’s potential for them to be friends, explaining: ‘I think I’ll be friends with Michael, he’s apologised and I’ve forgiven him and I had such a good friend in him at the beginning so I would like to maintain that friendship. I don’t want any bad vibes with anybody that was in the villa.’
Amber refused to be drawn on her feelings towards the Michael / Joanna liaison, and Michael’s attempts to reconnect with Joanna after leaving the villa, saying: ‘I think Michael doesn’t really know where his head’s at. It’s mad but it is what it is really.’
The plan for their future together is to take things slowly and not to allow the pressure of the spotlight to break them apart. But what about their individual plans – how do the couple hope to turn the Love Island fame into a longer lasting career?
For Greg the answer is simple, and it’s rugby. ‘I’ve always planned to go back and play my rugby.’ he says, ‘That’s my first love and I’ve played since I was little kid and I couldn’t see myself not playing, and then whatever comes extra out of Love Island I’ll deal with. The important thing is that I have Amber and my rugby.’
Greg’s not the only one who will be sticking to their pre-Love Island life. Amber won’t be quitting the family business any time soon. ‘I’ll definitely still be working with my auntie, I won’t be doing treatments but I’ll still have the salon together with her. I just want to stay with my auntie, I like working with her, I trust her.’
Is it possible that Amber Beauty might be coming to a branch of Superdrug near you any time soon? She’s not ruling it out. ‘I’m absolutely obsessed with skincare I’ve got all the products so I feel like that could be a good route to go down’ she says. ‘I would like to stay with Auntie but definitely opening more salons will be a goal. That was our goal even before Love Island island so we’ll just see what we can do with it.’
It would be remiss to talk Love Island without touching on this series’ runaway favourite, the man of the moment, Ovie.
Amber and Ovie were clearly very close in the villa, drawing speculation about whether Greg might feel jealous or left out. Happily, he had no such issues, seeing their friendship what it was. ‘I just think they’re both very lucky to have met each other at the time they did with the whole Casa Amor thing and they both made it through to the end - incredible.’
Amber’s not the only Ovie fan, Greg also has nothing but nice things to say about him. ‘I became really good friends with Ovie instantly professionally wise on the sporting side of things, and amber’s just amazing, so they’re really cute together as friends.
‘We both a catch a vibe with people quite quickly and we just instantly caught a really good vibe off each other. I knew he had my back and I had his 100%.
‘He was a very calming influence, it was like I had a big brother, he was there when I was smoking out by myself and even when I was standing there by myself he really wanted to get up and stand with me, I could see it written all over his face that he just looks or for me and I think that’s where the friendship came from.’
While the main prize of Love Island should in theory by a soulmate, there’s also the slight sweetener of £50K, which comes as a final test for the couple.
Greg picked the envelope with the £50K of prize money which he opted to share with Amber. Would she have done the same had the boot been on the other food?
‘I would have definitely shared the money’ she says. ‘I mean I was down for a couple of weeks and then Greg came in and put a smile on my face so I don’t think I could have stolen the money! I was always there for love not money.’
Any super rock ‘n’ roll plans for their winnings?
It seems not. ‘I might treat myself a little bit’ says Amber. ‘But I’m going to invest it and be careful with it.