Love Island champion Davide Sanclimenti has reflected on his stratospheric rise from a student who would ‘never make it to university’ to winning the hit show and finding his ‘soulmate’ Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
The feisty couple won the hearts of the nation with their tumultuous relationship, which saw the Italian brand the actress ‘a liar’ in a now-iconic line, as well as sharing tender moments over bowls of steaming carbonara.
Last week, they looked shocked when they were crowned champions of the ITV2 series by host Laura Whitmore after spending the summer in Spain.
Winning by a landslide victory with more than 60% of the public vote, the 27-year-old and the soap star have had a lot of newfound fame to digest since landing on UK soil.
Clearly feeling humbled by his time in the villa, the business owner took to Instagram to look back on his epic journey, which has seen him move from Rome to Manchester – via Mallorca.
In the candid post, Davide said: ‘When I was in college, teachers used to say that I would have never make it to university. Well I guess they were wrong.
‘They said I needed to learn English to get a better job and 4 years ago I moved to the UK to make that happen. Not in a million years I would have thought to win Love Island but more importantly find my soulmate.
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‘Thank you for all your support of all of you ❤️ All of this just to say: Never stop chasing your dreams. Love you all. Looking forward to the next chapter of my life now 🙌🏼.’
Fans were quick to say they were ‘proud’ of the entrepreneur, with one writing: ‘You’re so humble and deserve everything coming your way.’
Another penned: ‘You have achieved so much already , bigger things are coming 🔥be forever proud of yourself ❤️❤️❤️we all love you & will always support you no matter what.’
A third remarked: ‘Well done and continue to follow your dreams. Even more sweeter with Ekin-Su by your side.’
Since leaving the villa, Davide and the 27-year-old have been busy on the promo tour, appearing on Loose Women and Capital Radio.
The couple are also among the first Big Breakfast guests, along with the likes of Denise Van Outen and Rita Ora, as the show returns on Saturday morning.
