Love Island runner-up Harry Cooksley has addressed his relationship status with Shakira Khan, revealing why the pair have yet to officially label themselves as “exclusive” despite finishing the 2025 series as one of the strongest couples.
When the show ended, Harry admitted he didn’t see the point in putting the “exclusive” label on their romance. Speaking in a recent interview with Capital Radio, he explained: “So, Shakira and I are not exclusive. I think it’s a villa term. In the outside world, people don’t really say, ‘we’re exclusive.’ We’ve had conversations and essentially we are dating and loving spending time together.”
The couple’s journey on the show was far from straightforward. Harry faced a difficult moment during the Meet the Parents episode when Shakira’s mother refused to hug him after the Grafties drama, where he had briefly pursued Helena before recoupling with Shakira. Despite the rocky start, the pair made it to the final and placed second.
Since leaving the villa, Harry and Shakira have remained in the spotlight with magazine shoots, interviews, and public appearances. Fans recently speculated about a possible split after Shakira was absent from Harry’s social media posts, but he shut down the rumors by sharing affectionate photos of the two together, including playful date night selfies.
Harry further clarified his stance by saying that while they don’t use the “exclusive” label, in his eyes they already are exclusive: “There’s no one else I want to get to know or spend time with. The next step is boyfriend and girlfriend, but we’re not quite there yet. Things are going swimmingly.”
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