NEED TO KNOW
- Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia have broken up
- Pepe told TMZ, “That’s just the way it goes,” and denied cheating rumors
- The former couple entered the Love Island USA villa as bombshells during season 7
There’s no more love on the island for Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia.
The Love Island USA season 7 alums have broken up, Pepe confirmed to TMZ on Thursday, Aug. 28.
“Iris and I are not together anymore. That’s just the way it goes,” Pepe, 27, said.
Addressing infidelity rumors circulating online, Pepe added, “I like to say, my friends and family, are the people that support me, they know who I am as a person, and that’s honesty. That’s the biggest, the most important thing.”
Earlier on Thursday, Iris shared an Instagram Stories photo of herself holding up a cookie that featured an image of herself crying. She wrote, “LOL thank you for this @funnyfacebakery.”
The couple entered the Love Island USA season 7 villa as bombshells, shaking up the existing connections in Fiji.
Speculation about a breakup first circulated the day before the season 7 reunion.
Fans noticed on Aug. 24 that Iris and Pepe are no longer following each other on Instagram. Iris had also removed all of her posts featuring Pepe, though he still had posts with her on his feed.
She also shared a few posts on her Instagram Stories amid the speculation, one of which was a sunset photo with Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs.”
The song was interpreted by many fans to be a hint about how she’s doing, given that its lyrics are famously about a breakup, written following Stevie Nicks’ tumultuous relationship with Lindsey Buckingham.
Pepe and Iris Were Still Together At The Love Island USA Reunion
During the season 7 reunion, which premiered on Aug. 25, Pepe and Iris appeared to be together. The pair did not provide many details on their relationship status.
After they left the villa, Pepe told PEOPLE they were focusing on having as “normal” a relationship as possible.
“Obviously, with how everything blew up, we’re just trying to make it as normal as possible and take things like we normally would have two months ago,” he said.
“We just want to be together and hang out together and just see what happens.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Love Island USA season 7 can be streamed in full on Peacock.
Read the full article here
