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A Love Island couple have announced their split, just days after convincing fans they are still together.
Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad, the finalists of the ninth series of Love Island, have split after almost a year and a half.
The couple first sparked rumors of a split in July, when they unfollowed each other and deleted all of their photos together.
However, Shaq put an end to these rumors in August when he shared a photo of himself on his feed with Tanya looking as smitten as ever at Claudia Fogarty’s birthday party.
But on Saturday night, Shaq and Tanya both posted identical statements on Instagram Stories confirming they had split.
A Love Island couple have announced their split – just days after they convinced fans they were still going strong together
Love Island series nine finalists Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad have split after almost a year and a half
The former couple wrote identical statements announcing their split (left, Shaq’s; right, Tanya’s)
Tanya wrote: ‘Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that Shaq and I are unfortunately no longer together and have separated.
‘We wish each other the best and can’t thank you enough for loving us together so far! Thank you. [prayer emoji].
Tanya and Shaq finished fourth in the final winter series of Love Island in 2023, the same year that two seasons of Love Island aired for the first time.
The winners of the series were Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan, both 26 years old, and they are now engaged.
In second place were Lana Jenkins and Ron Hall, who split in July 2023.
And in third place were Samie Elishi and Tom Clare, the latter of whom found love with Molly Smith in Love Island: All Stars in January.
Tanya and Shaq’s split came after fans were convinced they were engaged in February.
During the extravagant holiday, Shaq celebrated Tanya’s birthday with an extravagant extravaganza, consisting of a candlelit dinner on the beach at sunset.
The couple first sparked rumors of a split in July when they unfollowed each other and deleted all of their photos together
However, Shaq put an end to these rumors in August when he shared a photo of himself and Tanya on his feed looking more in love than ever at Claudia Fogarty’s birthday party.
But on Saturday night, Shaq and Tanya both posted identical statements via their Instagram Stories confirming that they had split.
Love Island series nine finalists. L-R: Tom Clare and Samie Elishi (third place), Lana Jenkins and Ron Hall (runners-up), Tanya and Shaq, and Sanam Harrinanan and Kai Fagan (winners)
Fans were quick to point out that they thought the display was meant to be an engagement, but Shaq was clearly aware of how far he had gone. He captioned the post, “This is just her birthday picture when I propose to her.
“Thank you for helping me make my baby’s birthday unforgettable.”
In a clip Shaq posted to Instagram, Tanya was seen wearing a backless white mini dress as her boyfriend covered her eyes before revealing the surprise.
The camera focused on the birthday decorations, consisting of a path and a circle of flowers in the sand, with the dining table in the middle.
The couple were then seen walking down the path and taking their seats for dinner. Shaq kissed Tanya’s hand and they toasted with a glass of wine.
Tanya and Shaq then enjoyed a lavish four-course dinner, including lobster, before the wait staff brought out a sparkler-topped birthday cake to them.
Fans were convinced that it looked like Shaq was going to propose to her, despite him teasing that the engagement would be even bigger.
“I didn’t think it was a big proposal,” said fellow Love Islander Chyna Mills. “This is too good. Shaq has really set the bar high.”
Tanya and Shaq’s split comes after fans were convinced they were engaged in February, when Shaq went all out for Tanya’s birthday