EXCLUSIVE: Sammy Root reveals the ‘odd’ thing he did with Love Island winnings

He won Love Island 2023 alongside Jess Harding

Sammy Root

by Emily Vierke |
Published on

There are a couple of things we often wonder about life after Love Island...

Are the contestants allowed to keep any of the cute bikinis and designer sunglasses? Is it strange having access to the world of social media again? How refreshing is it to NOT share a bathroom with ten other people?

final four love island
the love island final four ©itv - love island

We also ponder what the hell the winners spend their money on. Back in 2016 aka the days of Nathan Massey and Cara de la Hoyde the word 'influencers' hadn't even been muttered, let alone added to Urban Dictionary, so taking home a cheeky £50k must have been life-changing.

jess and sammy
jess and sammy ©itv - love island 2023

Fast forward to 2024 and we have to wonder if some of the Islanders who are currently taking part in the All Stars spin-off series could make that money in a month what with brand deals and sponsored posts.

Love Island 2022 king of the villa, Davide Sanclimenti revealed that after winning the show, alongside then girlfriend Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, he "didn't need the money" and we respect the honesty but he could have thrown some our way, tbh.

We also recently caught up with reigning villa champ Sammy Root, who won Love Island 2023 alongside Jess Harding and asked him all those burning post-villa questions including what the hell he spent his £25k on, and his answer? Equal parts wholesome and random.

sammy and jess
sammy and jess won love island 2023 ©itv - love island

"I've been very, very boring," he admitted, "The first thing I did was treat my mum."

Awww, Sammy did always give us golden retriever boyfriend energy, but who knew he was a bit of a mummy's boy, too?

He continued, "Then I took the family out for dinner and treated myself to the odd pair of shoes.

"But most of it I'm keeping safe and sound."

Not Sammy Root being a sensible adult and saving the dollars for a rainy day. It sure is a far cry from the Essex bombshell who made 'pasta mash' with Whitney Adebayo, we've all seen the pics.....

sammy and Whitney
Sammy is a sensible lad now ya know ©ITV - LOVE ISLAND

WATCH: Love Island All Stars Joe Garratt | Under The Duvet FULL PODCAST EP 3

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