Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope Confirm Breakup After “Breach of Trust”

For more than three years, Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope occupied a rare position in the Love Island universe: a couple that survived the show’s contrived chaos and translated televised chemistry into a lasting relationship. On Saturday, that image finally fractured.

The pair, who met on the eighth season of the ITV2 dating series in 2022, have confirmed that they ended their relationship shortly after Christmas, following what a representative for Mr. Hope described as a “breach of trust.” The announcement, delivered quietly, has since given way to a louder and more complicated public reckoning after a video circulated online appearing to show Ms. Polack kissing another man weeks before the breakup.

Ms. Polack, 25, and Mr. Hope, 29, were among the most popular couples to emerge from Love Island in recent years. Known to fans as “Damiyah,” they navigated the show’s recouplings, Casa Amor twists, and emotional reversals before reuniting and finishing third, behind winners Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti and runners-up Gemma Owen and Luca Bish. Their humor and easy banter, often cited as the foundation of their appeal, followed them beyond the villa and into a relationship that many viewers saw as unusually steady for reality television.

They moved in together, appeared at industry events as a couple, and regularly shared moments from their private lives on social media. In a genre defined by brevity, theirs became a story of durability.

Ms. Polack, a fashion and beauty influencer before Love Island, went on to build a career as a radio presenter at Capital Xtra, co-host of the “Love Island: The Morning After” podcast, and a host at major entertainment events, including the MOBO Awards. Mr. Hope maintained a lower profile, pursuing personal ventures while remaining a consistent presence alongside her.

The first hints of trouble appeared late last year. In late December, the couple posted photographs from an airport, suggesting a holiday trip to the Seychelles. Ms. Polack returned to Britain shortly afterward and posted, then deleted, a message saying she had chosen to spend New Year’s Eve in church. The explanation struck some fans as improbable given the distance involved, prompting speculation that the relationship had already ended.

On Jan. 1, British tabloids reported that the couple had split after “building their lives together.” Neither confirmed the news at the time. Mr. Hope instead posted reflective messages on Instagram, including one that read: “Not everything ends clean, but it ends clear.”

A formal statement arrived on Jan. 9, when a representative told the Daily Mail that the relationship had ended shortly after Christmas “due to a breach of trust.”

The situation escalated a day later, when a TikTok video, reportedly filmed on Dec. 3 at the London restaurant Duck and Waffle, began circulating widely. The clip appears to show Ms. Polack kissing American Twitch streamer and content creator Marlon Lundgren Garcia, known as Marlon, her co-star on Netflix’s Inside series. In the footage, the two sit at a table with friends before leaning into a kiss; Ms. Polack then covers her face, seemingly startled.

The timing of the video, predating the public reports of the breakup, fueled allegations of infidelity. Ms. Polack responded in an Instagram Story: “I am aware of the video that has been shared online. I made a mistake and take full responsibility for my actions. I understand the hurt this has caused. I won’t be commenting further.”

Mr. Garcia confirmed the kiss during a livestream, saying he was single at the time and denying any wrongdoing on his part. The woman who is believed to have recorded and shared the video later said she learned of the incident only when it became public, while a YouTuber who claims to have witnessed the moment said he had exposed it online.

As is often the case when private lives become public property, the reaction was immediate and divided. Many fans mourned the end of a relationship they had invested in since 2022, sharing clips from the couple’s Love Island reunion and early post-show appearances. Others questioned the timeline, arguing that the kiss may have occurred after an informal separation. Some defended Ms. Polack’s right to move on; others sympathized with Mr. Hope, describing the video’s viral spread as a public humiliation.

The breakup has also reopened familiar debates about gender, accountability, and scrutiny in celebrity relationships, particularly those born on reality television, where emotional narratives are cultivated for public consumption and later dissected in real time.

Neither Ms. Polack nor Mr. Hope has explicitly said whether the kiss was the direct cause of their separation. But the reference to a “breach of trust,” coupled with the chronology of events, has led many observers to draw their own conclusions.

For now, both appear to be turning away from the shared story that once defined them. Ms. Polack is continuing her work in broadcasting and podcasting. Mr. Hope has indicated little interest in returning to the Love Island franchise, including its upcoming All Stars projects.