Love Island Australia has crowned Austen Bugeja and Claudia Bonifazio the 2022 winners.
Host Sophie Monk revealed the lovebirds won Australia’s hearts as their favourite couple over fellow grand finalist couples Mitchell and Phoebe and Callum and Madeline.
After being crowned Love Island King and Queen, they were each given an egg – one containing $50,000 and nothing in the other. Claudia’s egg had the $50,000, meaning she had the choice to either split the money with Austen or take it all for herself, proving whether she was in it for love or money. Claudia chose love.
Claudia, 23, from Adelaide, said: “To win is amazing, but also to find a one-in-a-million person like Austen is just incredible. I feel so lucky, and I couldn’t have asked to find someone better. He is everything I’ve ever wanted in someone and more.”
Austen, 22, from Sydney, said: “To win means so much to both myself and Claudia. I didn’t go into Love Island Australia expecting I would come out finding someone like Claudia, there is no one like her. We have such an incredible connection and our future together is so bright.”
Love Island host Sophie Monk
Monk, said: “This has been one of the best seasons in Love Island Australia yet, there have been so many beautiful, heartfelt and hilarious moments this season as well as some of the best and most explosive bombshells we’ve ever seen.”
The couple’s path to love hasn’t been the smoothest having to withstand the shock entry of Claudia’s ex boyfriend Jason as a bomb, as well as her past relationship and trust issues.
However these shake-ups only solidified their bond to stick together and shortly after both admitted they had fallen completely and madly in love with each other.
This season for Love Island Australia was the first time in two years the reality show returned to Mallorca, Spain, filming at a luxury villa.
Love Island Australia 2022 has recorded a VOD BVOD Audience of 327,000 (+35% YoY), and 520M VOD minutes (+44% YoY).
Love Island Australia is produced by ITV Studios Australia for the 9Network.
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Top image: Claudia and Austen