As the new winter series of Love Island is set to begin, former winners of the show offer advice to the new batch of hopeful singletons.

Paige Turley and Finley Tapp won the first winter series in 2020 and are approaching their three year anniversary. 

The Scottish singer, 25, entered as an original on day one, while Finn, 23, from Milton Keynes, arrived as a bombshell on day five.

The pair moved in together to a flat in Manchester in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The couple have now revealed their tips for a long-lasting romance out of the villa ahead of the shows launch date on Monday 16 January. 

1. Make the most of the villa bubble

The couple told MailOnline: 'The biggest bit of advice I would give is to enjoy it. It wasn't until we were leaving that we actually realised what we had done and started to just enjoy it.

'You're never gonna have a time in your life again where you can turn your phone off for, like, six weeks and have genuine connections with people. 

'We didn't even know what time it was and it's very limited. So just appreciating time standing still whilst you're in there.'

2. Spend alone time together away from the parties and opportunities in the outside world

While it was a strain on many relationships, Paige and Finn explained that the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions actually benefited them.  

'Covid helped us because we got to spend that time together without being pulled from pillar to post. We had a mad three weeks when we came out before lockdown and the quality time that you spend with each other is quite limited,' shared Finn.

Continuing: 'So, I think a good bit of advice is to try and make sure everything that is happening around you doesn't affect you getting that quality time with whoever you come out with'.

3. Get support from friends and family

The dating show wasn't without its tribulations either, as the increased time away from family and friends took their toll on the couple.

Paige admitted: 'I was in for like two months and come to the end of it I was like, right, I just wanted to call my mam.'

4. Get to know each other away from the cameras

Admitting Love Island was a 'weird' way to start a relationship, Finn said: 'It was weird because we didn't even have each others phone numbers, so we had to do that coming out even though we were already a couple.'

Paige went on to explain their experience on getting to know each other away from the cameras.

She told Metro: 'It kind of took us like a good year to work out who each other was, because obviously, in the villa you're in a bubble, you don't have any responsibility, you don't see where they're from, you don't see their friends or family,' she said.

'So it took us probably like a year to really work each other out and gain an absolute understanding of who each other was.'

5. Don't rush

Paige shared that their secret to staying together despite being in the public eye was ‘taking it back to basics’, with Finn adding that they slowed their relationship down ‘to a pace that is normal’. 

Ten hopeful singletons, including the show's first ever partially-sighted contestant, are set to enter the sun-soaked villa of love.

Love Island kicks off on ITV2 at 9pm on Monday 16 January.