‘Love Island’ narrator Iain Stirling reveals his favorite couple
Iain Stirling, the voice of “Love Island” U.K. and U.S., reveals that he was a fan of USA Season 7 couple Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe.
“Love Island USA” Season 7 breakout stars Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe have reportedly called it quits.
A year after finishing in second place on Peacock’s popular dating series, the beloved reality TV alumni are going their separate ways, according to People, which was first to report the news, and TMZ, E! News and Us Weekly. The outlets cited anonymous sources.
USA TODAY has reached out to Carthen and Vansteenberghe’s representatives for comment.
Following the Season 7 finale of “Love Island” in July 2025, the couple both launched successful careers, appearing in magazine spreads and brand campaigns, while racking up a fervent fan following on social media.
Olandria and Nic were a part of a pivotal twist in Season 7
Vansteenberghe, a model and DJ, and Carthen, an elevator salesperson-turned-post-villa model who’s been nicknamed “Bama Barbie,” became fan favorites during their summer 2025 journey in the Fijian villa. Although they were exploring other connections, viewers grew fond of them throughout the season, making edits of them online and giving them the “ship” name “Nicolandria.”
The stars aligned (and producers conspired) when they got dumped from the island. Given the chance to couple up and return to the villa, the major twist became a top moment of the season. Fans rejoiced online, and even “Love Island” narrator Iain Stirling enjoyed their connection.
“I became a sort of ‘Nicolandria’ simp for a little bit. That hasn’t happened to me in a few series, so it felt good,” Stirling told USA TODAY in a recent interview. “They made me feel like a viewer again.”
Olandria and Nic defended how much time they spent together
Though the two have done a handful of brand partnerships and appearances together, including at Coachella in April, they were often seen flying solo at events, raising eyebrows. While Vansteenberghe was at the Grammys earlier this year, Carthen said she had a work conflict.
The two have previously defended their relationship, which was made more difficult by work commitments and long distance. In a Cosmopolitan interview published in June, Carthen noted they go to the movies and spend time at Vansteenberghe’s Florida home.
“We don’t monetize our relationship or put it on display. If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds,” she said.
She addressed those who speculate about the status of their relationship by retorting, “Why is it your business? Are your bills getting paid? Are you touch-deprived? Go get a man; go do something with your life. Why does it matter if me and Nic are together?”
Calling her relationship “sacred,” she continued, “When I was younger, I never understood why people in Hollywood kept their love life private, and now I do. When you post too much, they think you’re monetizing and faking it. When you don’t post at all, they can’t tell if y’all are together. There’s no winning.”
In the Season 2 finale of the spinoff “Love Island: Beyond the Villa,” Vansteenberghe opened up about their long-distance relationship, saying, “She’s in Houston, so it’s only 2.5 hours away, but at the same time, it’s like she is never in Houston and I’m never in Florida.”
Why the couple decided to ‘share less’ about their relationship
Amid the fanfare, Vansteenberghe and Carthen received backlash post-show as they decided to keep their relationship private. In a December 2025 interview with Glamour, Carthen spoke about the mounting pressure to update social media, calling it “mentally draining.”
“People started to nitpick. They were doing that on the show, but we didn’t have our phones to see it. Now that we’re actually having to live with it and hear about it, it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe we don’t need to share as much anymore,” Carthen told the outlet, adding that they put boundaries in place.
“We depend on each other to uplift and be there for each other when we’re going through things, but it became draining for both of us,” she continued. “I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe if we share less, that’s better.’ But even then, discourse starts because we don’t share enough.”
Vansteenberghe added, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].
