Davide Sanclimenti has admitted both he and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu feared their Love Island romance might not be sustainable in the real world.
Thankfully for the pair, he admits life away from the luxury villa in Majorca has actually brought them closer together and said they are now looking at moving in together.
Speaking to Mirror Online, the Italian, 27, confessed the couple are "enjoying our relationship" away from the pressures of the reality dating show.
He revealed: "It’s been better since we left the villa. We feel like we are actually a proper boyfriend and girlfriend. We feel like a proper couple because in the villa it’s not the real world.
"We were scared that we couldn’t work in the real world, but we actually saw that we work and work better."
He continued: "We had fiery times in the villa but we’ve been really good after. We’ve had a few small arguments but healthy ones. You need a few small arguments in the relationship in order to feel it’s real.
"But apart from that we feel better since we left the villa. It’s nice when I wind her up and she winds me up and then we love each other."
He also confessed that he is looking forward to seeing what the future holds, but insists the Love Island winners will take their time with any important decision making.
"I’ve got plans with Ekin but it’s only two months since we left the villa," Davide continued. "I feel like we’ve been really busy in the last few months so we didn’t really have time to sit and relax and think about the future.
"We’re just enjoying the moment and the opportunities that are coming to us. [I'm] just trying to create quality time with me and Ekin and probably think about moving together but I can’t tell when."
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Despite reports suggesting the pair are clashing on their preferences of where they'll settle down together, he said it looks likely he'll move from Manchester to Essex in search of their dream pad.
The duo have just finished filming for their new TV series in which they spent time in both of their native countries. While Davide was tight-lipped at what fans can expect, he said it was nice for them both to catch up with each other's families once again.
He said: "It's been lovely. My family loves Ekin-Su and her family loves me so I feel like we went along really well. My mum and Ekin-Su are now like the best couple so this makes me happy."
Davide was speaking at the clothing range launch with boohooMan. He gushed it "feels good" to be a brand ambassador for a company he was already a fan of pre-Love Island and is looking forward to seeing the public's reaction.
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