Harrison Solomon and Lauren Wood make a major life-changing decision in their first joint interview after leaving the ITV2 show.
Love Island star Harrison Solomon has revealed he won’t be returning to America after finding love with Lauren Wood — just days after walking out of the villa in an emotional bombshell exit.
In their first joint exclusive chat with The Mirror, the 22-year-old, who previously lived in the US, said the decision to stay in the UK was easy after the whirlwind of fame, controversy, and romance that followed his time on the ITV2 show.
“As it stands, I’m not going back to America,” Harrison confirmed. “Coming off Love Island, I want to be around people who love and support me — my family, my friends… and Lauren.”
The couple, who were brought together during the infamous Casa Amor twist, have been inseparable ever since. Lauren, 26, entered the villa halfway through the summer series, instantly catching Harrison’s eye despite him being coupled up with original islander Toni. And while the Derby lad’s journey was anything but smooth — involving late-night tears, public backlash, and emotional goodbyes — he insists he has no regrets.
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Nearly five weeks prior, when Harrison first walked into the villa as a bombshell, viewers were unsure of his merits. He quickly struck up a relationship with Toni, and the two initially appeared to be good friends.
But everything changed when Casa Amor hit, and Lauren strutted into the picture. “I knew I was going in for Harrison,” Lauren admits. “He’s 100% my type. As cringe as it sounds, he’s my type to a T. But I didn’t expect the connection to be so instant.”
Harrison echoed the sentiment. I had this giddy feeling when I saw her. We quickly developed a mutual interest, and the more we talked, the more we realized. It simply flowed.”
Their chemistry was undeniable — but it came at a cost. Harrison’s decision to bring Lauren back to the main villa shocked the group, especially Toni, who was left single and blindsided. What followed was a tense recoupling, a teary confrontation, and one of the most emotional exits of the season so far.
There is no manual for that, Harrison admits. “Getting to know two people at once is difficult. “I definitely didn’t conduct myself the right way, and I also caused harm.” But it never lacked maliciousness.
After Lauren was dumped from the island, Harrison shocked everyone by voluntarily leaving the villa 24 hours later to be with her on the outside.
“People said I shouldn’t leave, but I knew I had to. That day without her made me realise what I wanted,” he said. “It wasn’t a good 24 hours. I just sat and reflected. I went in to find something real, and I knew that was Lauren.” Since leaving the show, the couple have been adjusting to life in the real world — but without the 24/7 cameras.
We’ve been on good terms, shopping in London, and just having fun together, Lauren said. It’s nice to just be us, not Harrison and Lauren from Love Island.
The pair have already spoken to each other’s families over FaceTime and say meeting in person is on the cards soon. “She spoke to my whole family. We’ll get to boyfriend and girlfriend status in the near future,” Harrison teased. “She wants me to pop the question now.”
Their first official date? He later revealed that “Harry’s just outside Harrods.” We made the decision while staying in the villa, knowing what to do when we left.
However, there haven’t been any selfies or sunshine. After Women’s Aid raised concerns about “misogynistic behavior” during his time on the show, particularly in regards to how he managed to maintain his distance from Toni and Lauren, he faced backlash.
He described the articles as “hard to see” and “hard to see.” I don’t think those labels accurately reflect who I am. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but none of them were bad. Everyone who is close to me, even Toni, is aware of this.
Harrison apologized for the way things turned out in one of his final villa scenes, and Harrison clearly became emotional during one of his sincere villa conversations. He said, “She told me that I wasn’t a bad person; all she said was that I handled things the wrong way.” That was significant. That conversation was necessary.
Harrison and Lauren insist that their relationship was more than what viewers might have seen despite the show’s one-hour a day schedule.
“People assume it was all PDA, but it wasn’t,” said Lauren. We were actually interacting with one another. Every day, we were glued to each other’s faces. We had genuine conversations, laughed at each other, and clicked on every level, Harrison said. I left because of this.
The couple is taking things slowly but seriously because their relationship is flourishing. Harrison responded, “There’s no pressure.” We’re just taking this chapter day by day, they say.
What about returning to the show? Lauren chuckled, “Not yet.” We’ve seen TikToks and short clips, but when we have the time, we’ll probably binge on it.
Harrison claims that the drama wasn’t the hardest part; rather, it was unintentionally hurting people. I once felt a pain after caring for both girls, and I’m aware of how indecisive I was. That’s the thing I regret most about. He also recognizes that something real has come of being in it. I left Love Island with the goals I set out to pursue. That was everything I could have requested.
On ITV2 and ITVX, Love Island airs every night.
Source: Mirror
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