Love Island finalist Simba Kudyiwa has defended his actions in the villa after viewers branded his bed-sharing logic a major 'red flag'. The 2026 series concluded on Monday night (July 27) with a live finale, where Maya Jama announced the final couple rankings. Simba and partner Angelista Gunda finished third, behind winners Lorenzo and Julia, and runners-up Jasmine and Kavan.
Simba grilled on 'wandering eye'
During the live finale, the finalists reflected on their experiences in a special episode of the companion podcast Love Island The Debrief, hosted by last year's final three – Shakira Khan, Toni Laites and Yasmin Pettet. The episode aired on ITV2 at 10pm on July 28 but was available earlier on ITVX and YouTube.
Simba faced questions about his self-admitted 'wandering eye', which he described as 'the old me'. He said: “I feel like I've moved past that. I've reassured Angie that we can move past that. Just focus on the future, focus on the moving forward and try to become the best possible version of myself for Angie.”
Bed logic explained
One particular incident during Casa Amor saw Simba tell Angelista he wanted to share his bed with either Mica or Mara to get to know them better. Shakira challenged him: “What is this logic Simba? Because we weren't quite getting it.”
Simba maintained that sharing a bed in the villa differs from the outside world. “When you're in bed with someone, it's not even just the physical stuff, it's more so just the conversations,” he said. “You're having those conversations you wouldn't necessarily have in front of all the other Islanders. For me, personally, it was about finding out more about the girls.”
Pressed on why he didn't take the girls to the terrace instead, Simba replied: “I feel like once you go to the terrace, everyone thinks you're going to kiss. There's just a lot of pressure on you there. Sharing a bed with someone, a bit of conversation, get to know them a little bit more. Genuinely, that's all it was.”
Reflections on his actions
Simba conceded that he could look back and think, 'I didn't necessarily need to do that', adding: “I'm not even saying that for the sake of it.” Love Island is streaming on ITVX.
