Love Island fans have been heaping praise on “selfless” winners Kai and Sanam after the couple revealed what they plan to spend part of their £50,000 prize money on.
In case you missed it, nearly two months after the smash-hit ITV reality competition show returned to our screens for its ninth series and it’s second Winter edition, and a whole new lineup of hopeful singletons made the trip to South Africa in the look for love, the winners of Love Island 2023 were announced live on Monday night.
Host Maya Jama revealed that fan-favourite couple Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan had clinched the coveted win.
The 24-year-old PE and Science teacher from Manchester, and the 24-year-old Social Worker from Bedford, beat runners-up Ron Hall and Lana Jenkins to take home the £50,000 prize money.
Tom Clare and Samie Elishi came in third, while Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad took fourth.
The couple certainly captured the hearts of Love Island fans after their romance first blossomed in Casa Amor when Sanam entered as a ‘bombshell’, and survived all other challenges thrown at it throughout the series.
ITV revealed yesterday that Kai and Sanam walked away with a huge 44% of the public final vote, compared to Lana and Ron’s second place of 30%.
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Kai and Sanam are the first winners in the show’s history to have coupled-up in Casa Amor.
Kai – who also played semi-professional rugby for Burnage RFC alongside his teaching career – told presenter Maya Jama that Sanam had “blown me away straight away” after her introduction on the show, while Sanam admitted that “it was always Kai”.
“I always said he was my number one and that, of course he is a very attractive guy, but apart from the looks, like I was just like… he’s an amazing guy, everything about him,” she added.
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Love Island winners Kai and Sanam to spend part of £50k prize money on ‘helping kids’ / Credit: ITV
Now, the couple have spoken out for the first time since leaving the villa to dish on how they plan to spend their £50,000 winnings.
While they said that jetting off on a couple’s holiday is definitely on the cards as soon as they get the chance to, they also explained how they plan to stay true to and honour their roots as a teacher and social worker by using part of the prize money to “help kids” – which has seen fans praise them for their “selfless” response.
In their first interview since being crowned Love Island 2023 winners, Kai and Sanam admitted that they know they have to be “sensible” with their prize money.
Kai explained: “Before I came in here, I wanted to start up a business and help kids get into physical activity. I don’t want to turn my back on teaching, working with young kids and think I will use some of that to do that.
“I am not sure yet in what capacity.”
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“That’s similar to me,” Sanam added, “I came from social work – working with children who have been adopted. I know that sometimes in my area there can be limited services, so for me I want to be able to do something to aid and support them, being an advocate for them.”
Kai added: “Both our careers were pretty similar when we came in here, and the conversations we had and the reasons why we were doing them were very similar.”
Featured Image – ITV
TV & Showbiz
Liam Fray says ‘yes’ to Courteeners supporting Oasis on tour amid rumoured 2027 dates
Danny Jones
Liam Fray has said that the Courteeners are ready to “answer the call” if/when it comes to supporting Oasis on their next big live tour, with rumours of dates for shows in 2027 ramping up.
The fellow Manc favourites were heavily suggested as potential support acts for the Live ’25 reunion gigs, but Cast and Richard Ashcroft were ultimately selected as the warm-ups for the world tour.
With that in mind, when asked if Courteeners would be ready to open up for Oasis on their still only hypothetical tour next year, Fray had a very quick answer:
Not to speak for the Middleton musician, but it’s a bit of a no-brainer, really.
As you can see, in a recent interview with Radio X host Johnny Vaughan promoting the indie rockers’ new single, ‘Plus One Forever’, the 41-year-old frontman made it clear that he and his bandmates would bite hands off if the other Liam and/or his brother Noel offered a slot to them.
The younger Gallagher brother definitely had plenty of fun teasing supports last time around, before making some fairly more obvious posts and then seemingly just announcing them on social media according to his own timeline.
LG does what he wants, after all.
As for the supposed ’12 nights at the Etihad Stadium’ reported recently, not to mention all the other sets across the country that would no doubt follow should they come to fruition, Fray could say little else other than simply “Yes” to the prospect.
Joking, “Well, it is from me – I don’t know if someone else has said no!”, there have been no other indications on this front, but it’s safe to say it’d be a huge booking for everyone involved and a HUGE crowd-pleaser; Liam looks to be working on one of his own, elsewhere, too…
The two lead singers have both graced the stage of the Emirates Old Trafford stadium at Lancashire County Cricket Club, as well as Heaton Park, respectively.
Liam noted that he was at Heaton Park himself for that unforgettable summer last year, and also praised Wigan’s very own Ashcroft for being “unbelievable” when he caught him at Wembley. Big shoes to fill. The question is, who would you like to see supporting Oasis on their possible tour dates in the future?
In the meantime, we’ll have to be satisfied with gearing up for the release of the highly-anticipated reunion documentary, with the title and a first trailer now revealed.
Trailer released for ‘gripping’ new ITV drama series starring Michelle Keegan
Emily Sergeant
The trailer for a new ITV drama series starring Manchester’s very-own Michelle Keegan has been released.
Already billed as being a ‘gripping’ new series that’s set to have audiences right on the edge of their seats, The Blame will dive into secrets, suspicion and systemic corruption all under the surface of this seemingly quiet town.
The six-part series – which was filmed in and around London late last summer – promises complex characters, unexpected twists, and a mystery at its core.
Produced by the acclaimed Quay Street Productions – which are part of ITV Studios – and written, developed for television, and executive produced by Megan Gallagher, The Blame sees Michelle Keegan take on the role of DCI Kenneth Walker.
A talented ensemble cast stars alongside Keegan, including well-known actors like Douglas Booth, also in a lead role, as well as Ian Hart, Nathan Mensah, Nigel Boyle, Joe Armstrong, Matilda Freeman, Gavin Spokes, Josh Bolt, and Ceallach Spellman in various supporting roles.
The series begins when the body of teenage figure skater, Sophie Madsen, is discovered, sending shockwaves through the town of Wakestead.
As DI Crane (Keegan) and DI Radley (Booth) dig deeper, what starts as a tragic death spirals into a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups, and moral compromise. As the clock ticks and trust fractures, Crane must navigate both a murder investigation and the treacherous politics inside her own team.
A trailer for the show has now been released showing the cast in action ahead of airing on ITV later this year.
The trailer has been released for a ‘gripping’ new ITV drama series starring Michelle Keegan / Credit: ITV
“The Blame is a brilliant new crime thriller full of surprising twists and a compelling investigation that also cleverly tackles police corruption, exploitation and misogyny as the thriller unravels,” commented ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill.
“Megan is such a wonderful and clever writer, and with Michelle Keegan in the lead, this is going to be an unmissable drama and one I’m very proud to have on ITV.”
Emily Sergeant -
15th March 2023 
