Grace Jackson's Love Island ex, Reuben Collins, responded to her extravagant girlfriend proposal from her new boyfriend, Luca Bish. In an exclusive interview with The Mirror at the Nominal Fashion show, in London, Reuben shared his thoughts on the couple’s new chapter. Reuben, who coupled up with Grace during her first stint on Love Island, had nothing but positive things to say.
He said: "I haven't specifically met Luca before but he seems cool, he seems like a great guy. Like congrats, like I'm just buzzing for them really." He also added: "And I like Grace, she’s a good girl, like I expect nothing less for her, she deserves the best."
Grace and Luca’s romance blossomed after the show, leading to a grand gesture in Abu Dhabi. Luca set up a stunning seaside proposal, featuring white roses, candles, and a neon sign reading: "Will you be my girlfriend?" The moment, which was part of a collaboration with Visit Abu Dhabi, marked the official start of their relationship.
Grace first appeared on Love Island in 2023 before returning for the All Stars season, where she built strong connections. Initially linked to Joey Essex, she later paired up with Reuben Collins in the final weeks. However, their relationship ended shortly after leaving the villa. Grace gave the villa another shot after things didn't work out with Reuben.
There, she met Luca, and the two instantly connected. There was some tension after bombshell Samie Elishi entered the villa, but Luca quickly shifted his focus back to Grace, and the pair went on to finish as runners-up.
Before joining the show earlier this year, Grace was romantically linked to footballer Marcus Rashford. Back in January, the reality TV star broke her silence on the romance rumours with the footballer, opening up about why the didn't make it as a couple.
Opening up to co-stars Liv Hawkins and Catherine Agbaje about her romantic history, Grace spoke about her fling with England player Marcus, 27. "We weren't dating but we were chatting a little bit," she said.
When Liv asked if they "fancied each other", Grace continued: "Yeah, but it's difficult because he can't go out and just go on a normal date. All these f*****g United fans were commenting thousands of comments on my pictures because they loved me."
She added that when their romance hit the press, Manchester United fans saw her as Marcus' lucky charm. "When the article came out, he scored two goals and he hadn't scored for ages so they were like, 'You fixed him! Thank you so much, you're our queen,'" she laughed.
"And then it kind of drifted. I think it went a bit weird when all the articles came out. But I've known his brother since I was 17 so he was like, 'Nah, don't worry about it. He knows it's not you.' But I think it went a bit, it just changed the vibe a bit. Because everyone knew and there wasn't anything to know."
Catherine sympathised, saying that it's "difficult" when romances go public, while Olivia added: "It's the same as if you and Joey had worked out. That would have been really bait for you."
Grace went onto reveal that she met up with ex Joey after their time in the Love Island villa last year. "He reached out to me, we didn't speak for four months.
"Then he texted me and was just like, 'Can we speak?'" adding that it was "When I saw his name on my phone, I was like [gasps]. I really liked him and I think I'll always have a soft spot for him. I'll always care about him."
