Exclusive‘Love Island’ Winners Hannah and Marco React to ‘Game Playing’ Allegations: ‘People Have Favorites’
Love Island couple Hannah Wright and Marco Donatelli were crowned the season 5 winners after instantly hitting it off during day three of the hit summer dating show. Despite their connection, the pair were accused of “game playing” in the villa and they exclusively tell Life & Style that fans simply have their “favorites on who they think they should win.”
“When people say that, I know it’s not true, so I could care less if people say that we plotted to win. We’ve just been ourselves the whole time,” Hannah tells Life & Style, revealing Marco didn’t watch Love Island before joining the cast.
“We made it to the finals – Marco didn’t even know how the money thing worked at the end. He didn’t know how somebody gets an envelope [full of the cash prize.] So, that just kind of shows how it wasn’t something on our minds until it had to be in the final moments.”
The reality TV couple was joined by costars Kassy Castillo and Leonardo Dionicio, Carmen Kocourek and Kenzo Nudo and Taylor Smith and Carsten “Bergie” Bergersen in the finals. However, America voted Hannah and Marco as the top couple, landing them the $100,00 cash prize, which they decided to split between themselves.
Marco, for his part, admits the calculated rumors don’t “bother” him because he “has thick skin” and his romance with Hannah is the real deal.
“I would say just the journey throughout when I met her, just climbing that mountain together. When you climb a mountain, at some point you’re going to reach the top of the mountain. The only thing you can do is look us down,” he explains. “So, to see everything else in that process, unwind saying that we’re applying to win, they must’ve missed the fight to get to the top of the mountain, but all we can do right now is look down.”
Hannah came in as a bombshell during episode 2 and her connection with Marco was instant. Their bond was challenged during Casa Amor, however, when his ex-girlfriend, Hannah Ortega, entered the villa.
The former couple may have revisited the good and bad aspects of their past relationship, but Marco decided that was a chapter of his life he wanted to remain closed.
Hannah was informed that her beau was accompanied by his former leading lady via video, but had faith that his head would not be turned – and she was right.
After leaving the villa as the winners of Love Island, Hannah and Marco are managing a long distance relationship as she lives in California while he’s located on the opposite coast in Florida.
“I think this brings the best of both worlds. We’re an hour from L.A. where she stays, and I’m an hour from Miami where I stay. So I don’t know. I don’t know what could be much better than that,” Marco tells Life & Style. “I was blessed enough to have my own place and I said open door policy for her. She can come and go as she pleases however long she wants to stay. I know she is going to love Florida. She’s interested in it. So I’m excited.”
Reporting by Brianna Sainez.
