Exclusive: Em and Mercedes confirm their split after being crowned winners of Love Island Australia 2024

EXCLUSIVE: Fun-loving match Em and Mercedes were crowned winners of Love Island Australia 2024 during Monday's epic Grand Finale.

The pair beat runners up Kaylah and Eric and Mia and Niko after the Australian public voted them as their favourite couple.

Stream episode of Love Island Australia for free on 9Now.

In an exclusive interview with 9Entertainment on Tuesday, Mercedes – who lives in Texas – and Sydney-based Em confirmed that while they're delighted to have won, they have sadly ended their romance since leaving the Spanish Villa.

"Coming back from the Villa, we were on a high," Mercedes explained.

"After you come back there's a grace period where you get back to real life, and I kind of figured both of us were going to need that and incorporate that... so I said, 'I think we need a break'.

"Then the break turned into being broken up."

Em said she didn't understand his purpose for the break, as she felt "super disorientated" while getting back to reality.

"I think I got home on Tuesday and on Saturday, we agreed to take space. But I feel like the way Mercedes communicated that was a little lost in translation for me," she said.

"His intention, he said later on, with taking space was that we would come back together. But I got that message and I was like, 'We're done'."

WATCH: Sophie Monk crowns the winners of Love Island Australia 2024

While they're no longer in a relationship, they still hold a solid friendship that they see continuing for a long time.

They have not physically seen each other since the Villa, but Mercedes is planning a trip Down Under with Frenchman Steph.

"Em is super excited to see me when I come to Australia," Mercedes said.

"I don't know if I would've said 'super'... I'll see you," Em joked in response.

Despite the fact they are no longer together, Mercedes said he wasn't surprised they were voted as the series' winners.

"We were the strongest couple in there, so I was expecting Australia to pick the right couple and they did," he said.

"Humble king!" Em replied.

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She joked that Mercedes was going to gift her the full $50,000 cash prize because the two-time FBoy Island US winner "doesn't need anymore bag from a dating show".

"I think we all know that I carried us both, and the people voted for me, not him," she said with a laugh.

"They did, but it's a team effort! We're splitting that money right down the damn middle," he replied.

Neither have any definite plans for their share of the cash, but they both think they'll put it towards travelling.

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"I would love to go to Japan, I want to go snowboarding," Em said. "Mimi's going to Bali for a bit, so I might go hang out with her, but other than that, I don't know.

"It might help me move overseas next year. I don't really know what the future looks like for me."

No matter what happens, they'll always be king and queen of the Season 6 Villa!

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Stream episode of Love Island Australia for free on 9Now.

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