Harrison And Lauren Love Island: breakup timeline and All Stars fallout explained
AJ Bunker's comment on Sunday night's episode — that she has “seen things - break-ups or not break-ups” — has thrown fresh attention on harrison and lauren love island and whether the pair were still together when Harrison joined All Stars. The exchange came as returning ex-Islanders gathered to judge compatibility ahead of the final, and viewers were reminded of Lauren's public split announcement in November.
AJ Bunker’s firepit line and the returning ex-Islanders
On Sunday night, AJ Bunker spoke to Belle and Harrison in the firepit and said, “I’ve been on the outside, I've seen things - break-ups or not break-ups…not telling a certain person…”. The episode featured a surprise comeback of former Islanders tasked with deciding which couple was least compatible, with the ex-Islanders re-entering the garden to cast their votes.
The ex-Islanders who returned included Shaq, AJ, Curtis, Kyra, Jess, Charlie, Jack, Helena, Carrington, Sher, Tommy, Jessy and Imani. Viewers were told the duo receiving the most votes will then face eviction and miss the grand finale; the voting round played out after the comeback shown on Friday night (February 20), and the outcome was not due to be revealed until Sunday night (February 22), with the couples facing eviction set to miss Monday's (February 23) final. The episode was scheduled to air at 9pm.
Harrison And Lauren Love Island: where they met and how their villa story ended
Lauren and Harrison met on the 2025 regular summer season of Love Island. Harrison entered the villa fairly early, but it was at Casa Amor that he first met Lauren. They quickly became smitten: he brought Lauren back to the main villa even though he had earlier shown interest in Toni. A shock recoupling resulted in Lauren being dumped from the island, and after a day of consideration Harrison left the villa with her.
Lauren’s November announcement and her social-media statement
In November, Lauren posted on social media to announce that she and Harrison had split. Her Instagram message read: “Hi everyone, Harrison & I have decided to no longer continue our relationship but will remain friends as everything was amicable and mutual. We share such amazing memories together, ones that not many can relate to. Please respect our privacy whilst we navigate going our separate ways. ” The post made clear that, as far as the public knew, the couple were not together.
Interviews, the NotMyBagg podcast and Lauren’s explanation
Speaking in an interview about the breakup, Lauren said, “Obviously he’s on his own now, I would be obviously gutted [if he did All Stars], ” and added, “It’s never nice to see anyone that you love on another TV show. But at the end of the day he’s single, it’s up to him what he does with his life. ”
On the NotMyBagg podcast, Lauren expanded on the split, saying they did break up in November largely so they could work on themselves with the hope of one day getting back together. She said they still messaged most days, and that it was when Harrison suddenly stopped replying that she began to suspect he might have gone on All Stars. Lauren said she had spoken to him “right up until the moment and then [he] just disappeared, ” adding that “you can’t disappear without a trace and go on one of the biggest shows” and that she could not comprehend his thought process.
Fan theories on who will be dumped and Belle’s dad’s spoiler
Fans quickly tried to guess which couple would be the next to leave. The couples still in the running at that stage were Scott and Leanne; Harrison and Belle; Sean and Lucinda; Samie and Ciaran; Yamen and Whitney; and Millie and Zac. Viewers predicted Lucinda and Sean might be in trouble, noting a report that the evicted couple “is made up of an OG and a bombshell and have been in a number of couplings during their time in the villa. ”
Social posts included comments such as “It's giving Sean and Lucinda, ” “They really dumped Sean, and Lucinda didn't, did they?” and a longer post arguing: “It's probably Lucinda and Sean then. Harrison, Zac, and Yamen have only been in one couple, not multiple. Scott and Leanne have only been in 1 other couple, not multiple. ” The speculation leaned on the fact that Sean was an original Islander while Lucinda entered the series as an unexpected bombshell and initially explored romances with Ciaran and Tommy.
Other viewers expected the new couple, Harrison and Belle, to depart, but an unofficial spoiler emerged when Belle’s dad reposted an Instagram story on Thursday (February 19) that read: “Celebrating my goddaughter getting in the final... whoops, have I let out a secret. ”
Where the AJ comment fits in
AJ’s “break-ups or not break-ups” remark was delivered during the firepit scene and came as ex-Islanders weighed compatibility, and with Lauren’s November split announcement and subsequent podcast comments in the public record it has prompted fresh questions about whether Harrison was single when he applied for or joined All Stars. AJ’s line, coupled with Lauren’s account that Harrison stopped replying unexpectedly, has left the relationship timeline under renewed scrutiny.
