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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katie Wilson

Love Island's Gemma Owen 'couldn't hide disappointment in final despite Oscar smile'

Gemma Owen and Luca Bish came second place in last night’s Love Island.

They were touted as favourites to win for weeks, but lost out to Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti in the grand final.

And it could have all been down to them not making their relationship official, a body language expert claims.

This meant the public didn’t buy into their romance, like they did with fiery couple Davide and Ekin-Su.

The surprise winners won the public over, even though every single couple in the villa voted them the least compatible in the days before the final.

But against all the odds, they managed to stay in and went on to win the £50,000 prize money.

Gemma and Luca were all smiles before the result was announced (ITV)

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Speaking to The Mirror on behalf of Betfair Bingo , body language expert Darren Stanton reveals the reasons why Ekin-Su and Davide triumphed over Gemma and Luca.

He said: “Gemma and Luca came in second place and that could be due to the public still feeling a sense of detachment from the couple’s relationship.

“They are yet to define their relationship by becoming official, with Gemma intent on getting the approval of her parents first - meaning the pair are already set to face their first hurdle on the outside.”

Luca looked annoyed while Gemma flashed an 'Oscar smile' (ITV)

Darren said when the final result was announced “Gemma’s face was a picture of obvious disappointment”.

He continued: “It seems she believed until that moment that she and Luca had the better shot at winning.

“Gemma flashed what we call an ‘Oscar smile’ - the moment an actor knows they’ve lost, but is aware all eyes are on them - as she applauded winners Davide and Ekin-Su, still gracious in defeat.”

Gemma and Luca thought they would win, an expert claims (ITV/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

Giving his verdict on Luca, Darren added: “Luca, meanwhile, seemed genuinely content given his facial expression, but we can tell he was equally as disappointed as Gemma in the way he applauded Davide and Ekin-Su.

“Luca was clapping at half-speed, which suggests the applause wasn’t as genuine as he wanted to portray.

“Also, you’ll notice it took Davide to go over to Luca to hug him following the result, not the other way round as you'd expect where Luca would be congratulating him.”

Ekin-Su and Davide were crowned this year's Love Island winners (Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In comparison, Darren said despite their ups and downs during the series, Ekin-Su and Davide had “swept the public off their feet with their romance”.

He explained: “Throughout the series, we saw the trials and tribulations the couple overcame and it became very clear that Ekin-Su and Davide have deep feelings for one another.

“In fact, as the final came around, it’s fair to say they couldn’t have been stronger, with both demonstrating the love and affection they have for one another through their body language.

“We see lots of prolonged eye contact between them, plenty of touching and tactileness, all behaviours of reciprocal liking.”

Ekin-Su and Davide's romance seems more genuine, experts say (Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The fiery couple 'swept the public off their feet' with their love (Matt Frost/ITV/Shutterstock)

Discussing their “genuine” body language when it was announced they had won, Darren said: “Davide had a huge smile on his face and was already genuinely happy. He and Ekin-Su were both genuinely surprised and shocked to hear they had won.

“Davide flashed a micro-expression of surprise for about two seconds - any longer than this and it would be a giveaway that he was feigning surprise - before his emotions shifted to elation and he embraced Ekin-Su.

“There was a level of intensity during Davide and Ekin-Su’s speeches to each other that surpassed all of the others.

“Davide, who tries to look strong all of the time, was touched and had tears in his eyes. Despite fighting it, it was clear he was overwhelmed by the emotion of the occasion and the level of deep connection he shares with Ekin-Su.”

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