While some remarkable relationships blossomed in the Love Island villa this summer, arguably even stronger and more enduring friendships were formed. Of course, there’s the unstoppable trio of Toni Laites, Shakira Khan, and Yasmin Pettet; the ride-or-die crew of Meg Moore, Helena Ford, and Megan Forte-Clarke; and who could forget the bad boy double act of Harry Cooksley and Dejon Noel-Williams?
Harry and Dejon formed a strong bond immediately, supporting each other throughout their time in the Love Island 2025 villa – a testament to their loyalty, especially given the intense rivalry between their baes, Shakira and Meg.
Since leaving the villa, runner-up Harry has been glued to Shakira's side, while Dejon and Meg have kept a relatively low profile, following significant backlash from fans. Despite now being on opposite sides of the divide, a big question remains: have these boys maintained their friendship, or have their differing paths driven them apart giving the circumstances?
According to Harry, despite how Shakira and Meg feel about each other, and the public's strong feelings about Dejon following some questionable villa movements, he's as close to D as he was on the show, exclusively telling heat that they 'talk almost every day'.
Harry revealed, 'Things with me and D are good. We've talked a lot since we've come out of the villa. I think both of our schedules are extremely busy.'
The series 12 finalist went on to reveal that he last saw Dejon at the Love Island reunion last week, but he was too busy rubbing shoulders with brands and ITV big wigs to have a proper catch up with his Love Island bestie.
Harry continued, 'We had the reunion the other night, but I didn't get to spend much time with anyone. If I'm being honest, it was me with brands and the team from ITV.'
'D and I had a great friendship in the villa. We talk almost every day since coming out, so nothing's really changed on that side for me,' he added.
'D's a great friend to me. I think my experience in the villa wouldn't have been the same without him. He was there, by my side, throughout the whole experience, so yeah, I'm extremely grateful that we were in there together.'
WATCH: Love Island’s Harry Cooksley speaks out on being the ‘villain’ of the series
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer and producer at Bauer Media, creating content for Closer online and heatworld. Beyond his journalism, he dazzles as London drag queen Beary Poppins, co-hosting the Spill the Fizz podcast with Traitors series 2 star Diane Carson. If RuPaul asked grown-up Ben what he’d say to his seven-year-old self, it would be: 'Don’t worry, you grow up to score the gayest jobs on the planet — so hang in there, you little legend.'