True love prevails! Villa sweethearts Grant Crapp and Tayla Damir are the winners of Love Island Australia!
Not only did the singles find love, they both won a share in the $50,000 prize money after Tayla chose to split it with Grant, over keeping it for herself.
The young couple won the hearts of the nation with their blossoming relationship. We watched on, sometimes through shielded eyes, as Grant, 22, and Tayla, 21, endured the highs and lows, and a barrage of secret girlfriend rumours, which of course we had to ask Grant about.
Fresh from the win, we caught up with the lovebirds to congratulate them, and grill them on those shock secret girlfriend claims, if they’d stalked each other’s Instagram accounts yet and what they really think of runners-up Eden and Erin’s relationship.
It’s a match made in a Spanish heaven!
Congratulations! How does it feel to be the winners of Love Island?
Tayla: It’s crazy! It doesn’t feel real yet. We’re just trying to take it in.
Tayla, was it a hard choice to split or keep the money?
Grant: I told her to take the $50,000.
Tayla: He said I deserved it after putting up with him for six weeks. But no, it wasn’t hard. Going in for the right reasons, I was happy to give the money back. It didn’t bother me at all. But it’s really nice that we got the opportunity and Australia was backing us. It’s exciting and I knew I was going to split it with him, I love him to much not too.
What are you going to do with money?
Tayla: This is what we’ve really had to think about. We didn’t even talk about it the villa because we never thought we’d get close to winning. But we’re going to use the money to move to Sydney together. We want to go on a holiday just the two of us.
Grant: I have a close mate who is in hospital, he’s been on life support and I’ve just heard that he’s come out of it. But it’s been four or five weeks of constant need. So I’m going to give half of my money to his family, they’re a family in a bit of need at the moment and I want to see him fully recover to 100%.
I’ve won having met Tayla and so if I can help him I will. I just want to see him come out strong.
The other half I really want to put to a holiday with Tayla.
The final couples, Amelia and Josh, Grant and Tayla, Erin and Eden and Love Island host Sophie Monk.
So you’re moving to Sydney!
Tayla: I’ve always seen myself moving to Sydney because I have a journalism and broadcasting degree. So for me that’s the best place to be. I have a lot of my dad’s family in Sydney so it means I’ll be closer to them. And Grant likes Sydney too.
It seems like the logical move. So we’ll start looking for apartments and getting sorted to start our new life together.
We have to talk about the secret girlfriend rumours. Grant, were you dating anyone in the lead up to entering the villa?
Grant: I’d told Tayla everything in my past, and I explained that I was seeing someone six weeks before coming into the villa. I told her that it wasn’t a serious relationship, it was a fling.
WATCH: Tayla and Grant’s road to love!
So when Tayla heard about it in the challenge, I don’t know why she put that face on, cos she had already heard it from me. I think that girl may have been using it for a little bit of fame.
Tayla, it must have been heartbreaking to hear what was being said about Grant on the outside…
Tayla: When you’re in a challenge like that, you kind of need a moment to process everything. It was a bit like ‘hang on a minute’. But as soon as we got back to the villa we spoke about it and he reassured me which was what everyone needs in that situation. I think she just wanted her five minutes of fame.
Have you done a deep-dive of each other’s Instagram accounts yet?
Tayla: No! We haven’t got our phones back yet! We got to have a quick look, somebody held the phone and showed us how many followers we had on Instagram and a few photos that had been uploaded.
But we don’t know what each other’s accounts look like before Love Island. We don’t even have each others phone numbers, it’s crazy!
Grant says he will donate half of his money to a friend’s family in need.
Cassidy has said she doesn’t find you trustworthy, Grant. She also doubts your relationship with Tayla will last. What are your thoughts on her comments?
Grant: It’s her own opinion, if she wants to make that opinion fair enough. She obviously doesn’t like me, so she’s entitled to say what she wants. I know what I’ve got with Tayla and that’s all I care about it.
WATCH: Whoops! Tayla and Sophie Monk accidentally share a kiss during the Love Island finale!
Of the final couples, which ones do you think will last?
Tayla: I think Josh and Ameilia will really last. I think at first everyone had their doubts, but Amelia really is such a sweetheart and I see a proper connection between these two and I really think it will last.
Millie and Mark are really starting to blossom so that could be something as well.
We really think Erin and Eden will work on the outside.
Grant: I think they’re two peas in a pod.
Taylor: They fight like cats and dogs but so do we, but I think they’ll be fine.
Young love! Tayla and Grant say they’re packing up and moving to Sydney to start their life together.
While you were in the house, there were rumours of a Love Island pregnancy. Did you know anything about that?
Tayla: We heard about this, but we think it’s absolutely crap. Because the only couple having sex in the villa was Eden and Erin and it was a major thing that you always had to be wearing protection and everything had to be consensual.
She would have told us girls if she had a pregnancy scare.
Speaking of babies, who do you think will be first couple to start a family?
Tayla: We’re all very young. If any couple were to have kids it would be Erin and Eden.
Grant: We’ve got a while to wait, but you never know [laughs]!
A lot of the contestants have said how much they hope Erin and Eden didn’t win because they’re bullies?
Tayla: Bullying is a really strong word to use. Personally I never felt bullied, so I can’t really comment on that. And I know Grant never felt bullied, so he probably won’t either.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and if Islanders felt like they were bullied their entitled to that opinion. But I think that’s something we’re going to stay out of.
Do you think Eden and Erin’s relationship is toxic?
Tayla: I think there is a lot of things they’ll probably have to work on in the outside world, mainly jealousy. But it’s a quality they both like in each other. And that’s where Grant and I are really different, we don’t have that perception.
I really do hope they work out. It would be great to see them together in the outside world.
WATCH: Erin and Eden’s most dramatic Love Island moments…
”They’ll last!” Tayla and Grant are tram Erin and Eden.
What’s next for the two of you?
Tayla: Obviously the move to Sydney. I also want to focus on my career and get back into modeling. I really love writing and I’ve been looking into writing a book.
Grant: I have my own business, I have a clothing brand and I’m also an electrician. So I can go wherever and I’m happy to be moving to Sydney because I have a mate there and it would be a nice change to be doing it with my girlfriend. It will be perfect.
Tayla: Your Love Island girlfriend, not the one on the outside [laughs]!
