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“Love Island USA” stars Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe have ended their relationship after one year, a source close to the couple to PEOPLE.
The Season 7 pair called it quits due to the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship while managing demanding schedules, an insider said. Despite the split, the two remain close friends who hold deep respect and affection for one another.
Carthen, 28, and Vansteenberghe, 25, captured viewer attention during the show’s Casa Amor twist when they shocked fellow contestants by returning to the villa together, PEOPLE noted. Both had been eliminated in earlier recouplings before making their surprise comeback. The couple went on to finish the season as runners-up.
Their relationship nearly didn’t happen. Carthen, a model, initially avoided pursuing Vansteenberghe, a DJ, because he had been connected with her friend Cierra Ortega. After Ortega left the competition, Carthen changed course and explored the chemistry between them, later describing it as the “best decision” she made, PEOPLE said.
After leaving the show, the pair deliberately kept their relationship private. In a June interview with Cosmopolitan, Carthen said they chose not to “monetize” their romance.
“If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds,” Carthen said.
The couple regularly addressed public criticism of their relationship. Vansteenberghe told Us Weekly in April that outside commentary was “overdone” and said they found comfort in controlling what they shared online.
Neither Carthen nor Vansteenberghe has publicly addressed the breakup on social media.
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