Love Island's Harrison Solomon splits from Lauren Wood
Love Island couple Harrison Solomon and Lauren Wood have broken up - months after leaving the ITV2 dating show's villa.
Love Island couple Harrison Solomon and Lauren Wood have split.
The 23-year-old semi-pro footballer and the 26-year-old brunette beauty "drifted apart" but "remain friends" - just months after Harrison dramatically abandoned the villa to reunite with Lauren after she was sent packing from the ITV2 dating show.
She told MailOnline: "Hi everyone, Harrison and I have decided to no longer continue our relationship, but will remain friends as everything was amicable and mutual.
"We share such amazing memories together, ones that not many can relate to. Please respect our privacy whilst we navigate going our separate ways."
A source added: "Harrison and Lauren had a good run together, only a few weeks ago, they were completely smitten.
"But they have decided to go their separate ways and remain good friends.
"Their shared experience on Love Island was like no other, full of high emotions and drama.
"Due to holidays and work commitments, they've just drifted apart, but there's no bad blood between them."
Last month, Harrison jetted out to Dubai for a lavish holiday without Lauren - which fuelled more break-up speculation.
On Love Island, the hunk was embroiled in a love triangle with Toni Laites - who won the show with beau Cach Mercer - and Lauren.
And Harrison - whose brief relationship ended with Toni after Lauren walked into the plush Mallorca villa - sparked controversy with his behaviour towards the women.
He went back and forth between Toni and Lauren, and it caused weeks of upset and conflict.
In one situation, the sportsman urged Toni to choose him, despite having had sex with Lauren the night before, and so she did, leaving Cach stunned.
Toni then declared herself done with Harrison.
She told Lauren: "He's all yours, girlfriend. I'm removing myself from this.
"This is getting f****** ridiculous, and it's making me nasty.
"He's lying to both of us. I can't keep doing this."
But even after the recoupling, Harrison complimented Lauren's looks, and she even helped floss his teeth, prompting Toni to accuse the US-based sportsman of trying to make her look stupid.
And Harrison's treatment of the duo was condemned by viewers, and Women's Aid expressed its concerns over "unhealthy patterns of behaviour" on Love Island.
The charity released a damming statement to The Tab, claiming his behaviour "reinforces a culture that excuses and trivialises violence against women and girls".
And Harrison was saddened by the allegations - with the "worst" being from Women's Aid.
He told the Daily Mail: "I have seen the backlash and it's hard to digest. I would disagree with a lot of it in terms of my respect for women. I do respect women.
"The worst has been from Women's Aid. I know myself and the girls on the show, too. Toni said she knows I'm not a bad person, just went about situations in the wrong way, but the Women's Aid statement wasn't nice ... It's not nice coming out of the villa to my mum upset by that, so I would say that's been the hardest.
To the women I have hurt, I am obviously sorry.
"I got it wrong, and the back and forth between the two connections caused more harm than I ever intended.
"It wasn't ever an ego thing. I am not proud of how I handled things, and I'm not going to make excuses.
"I just want to own it. If people can give me the space to grow from it, I will do everything I can to be better, and that's the only thing I can do.
"There is no handbook for how to be on a show like Love Island. Its instincts and intentions. I got some of it right, but I know I got a lot of it wrong, and I know that now."
