Love Island USA’s Nic Vansteenberghe Addresses Olandria Carthen Split

She added, “But that’s what makes this connection so special. We’ve been building up to this point.”

And even when it came to some viewers doubting their friends-to-lovers romance, Vansteenberghe, 25, stood on business.

“We know what the connection we have,” he told the outlet, “and so does our family.”

Fast-forward nearly one year later, Vansteenberghe also shared a rare update on the couple’s relationship, teasing what they would technically consider their anniversary.

“I think we count our one year, maybe the first challenge—we’ll count it,” he told E! News in April. “We don’t really know. I don’t think we knew what day it was.”

And although they hadn’t made plans to celebrate their milestone just yet, Vansteenberghe made it clear that his ideas for Carthen were far from closed off: “She gets what she wants.”

As for Carthen, prior to their breakup, she shared why they wanted to keep details of their evolving relationship to themselves.

“It’s important for our own mental health,” she told Cosmopolitan in June. “These people met you on TV, so they want access to you all the time. You want to post normally, but then you see people overanalyze every little thing, and you shut down. When it comes to me and Nic—when you really care about something—you keep it very sacred and close to you.”

Keep reading to see where Love Island couples stand now after leaving the villa…