04 October 2023 , 20:00
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Love Island's Jess Harding has candidly opened up about her recent split from fellow contestant Sammy Root. The couple, who first met on the popular ITV2 dating show earlier this summer before going on to win the series in July, announced their breakup on Tuesday.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Jess revealed that they had actually ended their relationship over a week ago. Responding to a fan's question during a Q&A session, she said: "It's been over a week now since we split, so I'm getting there. We shared a once in a lifetime experience together, so of course I'm sad."
When asked about the reasons behind their split, Jess chose not to divulge too much information, stating: "I really don't want to go into detail by doing a big statement, but we're just very different and behave differently and that's it."
The couple announced their breakup on Tuesday (ITV)The comments come a day after Sammy Root broke his silence on the matter, suggesting he was unaware of their breakup until reports surfaced online. Sammy took to social media to express his surprise and disappointment at the news of his breakup with Jess, which he learned about through the media. He wrote: "Hi guys, I thought I would come online to address today's news about me and Jess."
"Yes we had a private conversation regarding our relationship but this was left up in the air as Jess is still away and we haven't had a chance to speak in person . For me to then see today via the media that we had officially broken up came as a total shock."
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He continued: "To be totally clear - I at least wanted a face to face conversation to see if our relationship could be saved and felt this would be the respectful way forward. We had the most incredible experience winning Love Island and I genuinely saw a future with Jess."
In conclusion, he wrote: "I was committed and respectful to our relationship. Unfortunately things don't always work out the way you'd hoped. Despite how this has all played out today. I think Jess is an amazing woman and genuinely wish her all the best."
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