Love Island’s Paige Turley Believes The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Helped Couples Stay Together
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Featured Image Credit: Nathan Damour
Coming out of the Love Island villa to a whole new world of press and fame is one thing, but returning to real life only to find the planet on the cusp of a pandemic is a whole different story.
However, that's exactly what happened to Paige Turley, who won the first ever edition of winter Love Island alongside her boyfriend Finn Tapp.
The couple, who celebrated their one year anniversary together in February, stepped out of one surreal situation and into another when they found themselves forced to lockdown again just one month after they flew back from South Africa.
But Paige, 23, actually believes the extended quarantine period, which she and Finn spent together, may have helped their relationship - and that of runners-up Siannise and Luke, who are also still together.
"A lot of couples in our series lasted, and I think that is because of the pandemic, because they've actually had time to spend with each other," she tells Tyla. "In series before ours, people are forced to travel up and down the country for events in the diary.
"Those commitments may have got in the way of the relationship. I think for us to have that time to get the very basics of the relationship formed have been really beneficial for us."
Paige explains that she and Finn decided to bunk down together after Boris Johnson's address to the nation in March last year, with Finn, 21, deciding to drive six hours to Scotland to be with Paige.
The pair, who now share a flat in Manchester, weren't worried about suddenly spending all day every day together, even at such an early point of their relationship. After all, they'd done it before in the ITV villa.
However, Paige adds that lockdown did prompt the pair to move in quicker than first planned.
"Love Island accelerated out relationship" she says. "Without the pandemic there would have been a lot of hotel jumping and working because our diaries were so busy. Lockdown allowed us to have a home base together."
While the couple have enjoyed their downtime together - with Paige calling Finn her "Kris Jenner, always cheerleading for me" - that doesn't mean they're not excited for their schedules to become busy once again.
"We're excited for things to open up," Paige says. "It'll be like starting the relationship afresh. We've never really been able to go out for dinners or have nice dates. Our families haven't met since that time in South Africa, so it will be lovely to get everyone together again."
In the meantime, singer Paige is keeping busy by performing and holding a virtual Q&A with fans on Beatstream, on Sunday 11th April.
Stream an audience with Paige Turley hosted by Will Manning this Sunday 11th April 9-10pm. Tickets are available now via the Beatstream box office.
Topics: Dating, Winter Love Island, TV News, TV & Film, Sex & Relationships, Love Island