“Love Island USA” stars Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe have called it quits.
The fan-favorite Season 7 couple “decided to part ways” just over a year after they left the villa together, a source told People on Wednesday.
“The distance between them and their busy schedules made it challenging to maintain their connection,” the insider said.
“They still remain close friends. They share a deep love and respect for each other and will always support one another whenever possible.”
Page Six has reached out to reps for Carthen and Vansteenberghe for comment.
The former pair stole the hearts of viewers when a surprise Casa Amor twist gave them both second chances at finding love — by coupling up with each other.
They each had been eliminated from the show in two dramatic re-couplings, but shocked their fellow islanders by returning to the villa hand-in-hand.
Carthen admitted to People that at first, she “didn’t allow [herself] to feel that spark” with Vansteenberghe, as he had a connection with her friend Cierra Ortega.
However, once Ortega was removed from the show for previously using a racial slur, Carthen told the outlet she was able to “make my own selfish decision” and give in to her chemistry with Vansteenberghe.
She called coupling up with the 25-year-old DJ the “best decision I could have ever made,” and said it “made my whole experience way better.”
The two ultimately came in second place during the Season 7 finale and left the reality show as a couple.
Last month, the model defended her and Vansteenberghe’s relationship against social media trolls who didn’t believe their relationship was real.
“Why is it your business? Are your bills getting paid? Are you touch-deprived? Go get a man — go do something with your life,” the 28-year-old told told Cosmopolitan on June 18. “Why does it matter if me and Nic are together?”
“People in the comments were like, ‘Oh, I just needed proof that they saw each other this week.’ Why are you so invested in people that don’t know you?”
She continued, “That part kind of creeps me out, because I’m never that invested in someone’s relationship, and I’m not living for the internet. I don’t always post what people want me to or always do what people want me to do.”
As for why she and Vansteenberghe mostly kept their relationship out of the spotlight post “Love Island USA,” the influencer explained that they didn’t want to “monetize” their relationship.
“If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds,” she added. “We enjoy each other’s presence and do what normal people do: go out, have fun, and get to know each other.”
She also hinted that the two were going strong at the time, teasing, “He said that he’s been in love twice and that the third time’s the charm.”
On Vansteenberghe’s part, he also admitted that the hate over their relationship was becoming “overdone.”
“At this point, the critics and the critiques are just overdone,” he told Us Weekly in April. “I’ve said all I need to say. At this point, it’s just about not giving it any more attention.
I know the boundaries [I have for] myself and how much to share and what not to share,” he explained about finding a balance on social media. “Lately, not revealing too much about my personal life has been so nice for the both of us.”
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