Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan hope their 'Love Island' win can help spark change in TV.
Mimii Ngulube was thrilled to make history with her Love Island win
The pair made history when they recently became the first Black couple to win the reality show, and while the 24-year-old mental health nurse admitted she initially didn't realise the significance of their victory, she's proud to be inspiring others.
She told OK! magazine: “How it’s been in history, people from where we’re from, they never actually become winners.
“I keep saying it’s so surreal because I am just so thrilled to be part of history...
“We didn’t realise how much of the point that we’re making.
“I keep seeing Tweets about me and Josh [saying] this ‘is a win for all of us’ and that’s so real. I feel like everyone has just been uplifted and everyone feels like this could be a start of more change, especially in the TV scene, for recognition of Black history and the importance of Black culture being represented.”
Josh - who joined the show as a bombshell - believes viewers wanted him and Mimii to win because they believed in the "authenticity" of their romance and for the 29-year-old footballer, his focus wasn't on victory but of building a strong relationship.
He said: "I think for me and Mimii our thing was just so authentic. We were never thinking about winning – winning was never in the plan. My main focus was trying to make my situation with Mimii good."
She added: "We spoke about things that weren’t just surface level talks, we talked deeply and it would just flow every single time and it was an easy conversation for us to get into.
"We had similar interests, we like the same music and we’re passionate about the same things. We were just very compatible and people could see that. What we went through are things that you could potentially go through on the outside, during the
talking stage or when you’re dating someone. People could relate.”
While Josh was interested in Mimii from the outset, it took her some time to know he was her match.
She added: "“He got to know me from watching me before he came in and for me I was getting to know him fresh.
“So it was like, on the outside if someone was doing that within two days of meeting me, I’d be like, ‘Oh, not sure’, especially since I was also still dealing with a situation before that, that I was trying to get over as well. It was just a lot for me to take in."