Former Love Island winners Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan on life after the show, why they work so well together and what the future holds for them
WORDS: LAUREN FLETCHER PHOTOS: LORNA ROACH PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: DAN LANDSBURGH VIDEOGRAPHER: IMADE OSAGIEDE STYLIST: JEFF MEHMET STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: ELOISE DAVIES HAIR & MAKE-UP: JACINTA ANDOLINI
LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan made history when they became the first non-white couple to win Love Island in March 2023. And just over a year on, the pair are more loved-up than ever, with a future that looks set to include marriage and babies.
Kai, 25, a PE teacher, joined the show on day one and he enjoyed potential romances with the likes of Olivia Hawkins. But it was later in the series, during Casa Amor, that life threw him a curveball in the form of social worker Sanam, also 25.
The couple hit it off instantly and fans loved them, voting for them to be crowned winners of the winter edition of Love Island. Kai and Sanam then moved in together just months after the final and, unlike many of the show’s previous couples who have cohabited and later split up, living together has only strengthened their bond.
Now, in an exclusive chat and photo shoot with OK!, Kai and Sanam talk about their secret to a successful relationship, their biggest arguments and their plans for the future – including buying a house together…
Hi, guys! Congratulations on celebrating your first anniversary as a couple. How does it feel? Kai: Really nice. I feel that reaching one year together in any relationship is a big milestone to hit, so to do it together and be as good as we were since the day we met is amazing.
Sanam: It is a great milestone and we really are so happy.
Did you expect to find true love on Love Island? Kai: It’s the expectation if you go on a show like Love Island, but I think it’s rare that people actually do find love. So to have the experience and find real love – I feel like we’ve won.
Sanam: I definitely went on the show with the intention of finding someone, but I didn’t know if I actually would. But to have found Kai, I’m like, “It actually does work, it’s unbelievable.”
What do you think is the secret to your successful relationship? Kai: The difference between Love Island couples and ordinary couples is that there is a lot of pressure on the relationship when you leave the villa. What makes Sanam and I different is that you have to decide what
