Shakira Khan said she and fellow Love Island contestant Harry Cooksley have not put a formal label on their relationship since leaving the villa in August, explaining the pair are still adjusting to life together outside the show.
Khan, 22, told Capital XTRA Breakfast that she generally waits about three months before making a relationship "official," and said there is no pressure to rush a label while they navigate the post-villa transition. When radio host Shayna Marie asked if the couple were "boyfriend and girlfriend," Khan replied: "No! I don’t think that’s a weird thing either. In my past relationships I probably dated them for three months." She added, "It’s a label we are still very much figuring out our new life, adjusting to stuff and spending time with each other. I don’t feel like there’s any pressure on it."
Cooksley, 30, spoke about the pair’s relationship on ITV's Lorraine, saying that their reconnection in the villa felt "natural." He said speaking to Khan one-on-one allowed emotions he had suppressed to surface, and he was "so glad I stuck my neck out." Cooksley also said he was single upon entering the villa, though he had been dating and "seeing people" and had told only four people he was going in. When asked whether they were exclusive, he cautioned that "I don't think exclusive is such a big thing on the outside world," while insisting, "When we rekindled I only had eyes for Shakira and that hasn't changed."
Khan reflected on the difficulty of watching Cooksley interact with other islanders, particularly during Casa Amor. "Having to watch him with Helena every day was so tough," she said, noting the emotional strain of close quarters in the villa compared with the distance of the outside world.
The pair have also addressed tensions surrounding Khan's family’s early interactions with Cooksley on the show. Khan said the initial meeting with her mother — which included a widely noted moment when her mother refused to hug Cooksley on camera — went better than expected after the series concluded. Khan said her mother is currently on holiday and "she's warming to him, she wants to meet him, sooner rather than later."
Khan's interview aired on Capital XTRA Breakfast, which is hosted weekdays by Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie and is also available on the Global Player app. The interviews follow the couple's departure from the villa in August and come amid ongoing public interest in how relationships formed on Love Island adapt once contestants return to everyday life.
Both Khan and Cooksley have described taking a cautious approach to their post-show relationship, emphasizing communication and time to adjust rather than immediate public declarations. Their comments underscore a pattern among several recent contestants who have sought to manage private relationship timelines under heightened media scrutiny following their participation in the series.