Love Island final - live blog

One way of looking at it is that you've basically spent two and a half days solid watching half naked people prance around a villa... but of course we know it's much, much more than that. Love Island has been a fixed point – 9pm, ITV2 – around which our lives have revolved. It's been our chat at work, it's allowed us to bond with strangers and it's brought genuine love into our lives (thanks Chris and Kem). And now it's almost time to say goodbye...

22:44 Good night Islanders x

22:43 One thing's for sure: trying to substitute your addiction for something cheaper and dirtier is not a good idea.

Remember kids: just say no to Big Brother.

22:39 What the hell we're supposed to do next, I don't know. I guess there will be a couple of nights this week when we'll turn over to ITV2 at 9pm and stare blankly at the screen wondering what is wrong with the TV/the world but we'll get used to it.

Hopefully, Sunday's reunion show will help wean us off more safely than going cold turkey - or will it just make it tougher...?

22:35 Wow, so that really is it for this series of Love Island. Not only have you racked up 7 weeks, 6 days a week, of a reality TV show - a total of 60 hours - but some of you have even had the stamina to stick with this live blog.

Well done for both those feats, I know the first one has been rewarding even if the second hasn't, but thanks for being with me anyway...

22:32 Of course he will! He's a good boy.

22:32 Kem has the £50,000 envelope. Will he share it with Amber? "Share it with Chris!" someone in the crowd shouts...

22:30 But now we find out whether money trumps love as one of them will get the chance to keep all the cash or split it...

22:29 Kem and Amber win it, as predicted.

22:28 The result is coming...

22:26 Thank you Internet, I rest my case...

22:22 Flack: "Kem, have you met your future wife?"

Kem: "I have, I have."

Everyone else: "Yeah: Chris."

22:19 The wisdom of the Villa: "Type is nothing" - Amber

22:17 And come to think of it, I'd love to see Danny Dyer on Love Island... #jobswap

22:15 Jamie really sounds like he should be the new landlord of the Queen Vic...

22:13 You see, now I've just watched that Jamilla montage and I think maybe I voted the right way after all... This programme has got me in the palm of its hand...

22:10 How strict do you think they are about the whole 'young' and 'single' things when it comes to applying for the next series of Love Island...?

22:09

I agree Nikki, I agree - what have I done?!

22:03 Liv on having gone through so many boys on the show: "It's Love Island, we're here to date, not sit in the corner and knit..."

She's awesome. And quite right.

Although, given the popularity of Bake Off and the Great British Sewing Bee maybe Knitting Island could work...?

22:01 I do wonder how many people actually bother to download the app and vote. Maybe two votes can make a difference.

There may be a few people waking up tomorrow feeling like they did after Brexit...

22:00 Chris and Liv in THIRD! THIS IS MY FAULT!

21:57 This is amusing me...

21:54 Yep. Gabby and Marcel in fourth. Hard to call between Chris and Liv and Camilla and Jamie for second and third, although I think Kem and Amber will probably win it...

21:53 M and G is my guess for 4th

21:52 Holy crap, THE RESULTS ARE NOW IN!

21:51 I have Prosecco. Cheers!

21:46 What has this show done to me? Two months ago I couldn't have imagined waiting to watch an episode of Game of Thrones, let alone fretting over voting for the right couple in a reality TV show...

But then I think this experience has changed all of us...

21:44 Both times today I have voted against the couple I thought I wanted to win - I've gone Jamie and Camilla rather than Chris and Liv. Why? I LOVE Chris and Liv, but I think I need Camilla to know that her growing confidence is not misplaced, and I'm starting to trust Jamie more.

Jamie! Don't break my Camilla's heart!

21:40 LIVE back at the villa and a nice little chat with the Islanders round the fire pit that, to be honest, tells us very little new. But everyone's happy and that's nice to see.

Now excuse, me I have to go vote again. And as I type this I still don't know whether it's going to be for Cam and Jamie or Chris and Liv...

21:38 And we always knew Cam would say something heartfelt:

“Jamie, at the time that you arrived in the villa, I thought my romantic journey on Love Island was over. I truly believe there is not a single other person who could have walked in the door to make me change my mind. I’m humbled on a daily basis by your ability to bring out the best in others and since you have been in the villa I have been able to show sides of myself to you that I have kept hidden for a very long time. Thank you.”

21:37 Say what you like, Jamie sounded genuine when he told Cam this. It certainly worked for her, she was in bits...

“There are so many reasons writing something like this is so hard. Yet when you come to my mind it’s so easy to think of the amazing ways in which to describe you. This may seem like a contradiction but the most endearing thing about you is you’re exactly that. The amazing contradictions in your character that make you so special.”

21:34 Olivia says something I think we can all agree on - that being with Chris has changed her for the better...

“Chris, the girl that walked into this villa seven weeks ago is a very different girl to the one who’s walking out, and you are the reason for that. You’re cheeky, funny and the way you love me has brought out a softer side to me I hadn’t wanted to show in a very long time. Your beautiful face matches an equally beautiful soul.”

21:32 More rhyming from Chris but it's not quite grime. Hopefully if Stormzy's watching he'll at least appreciate the passion:

“Olivia’s first impression will remain cemented in my soul as one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen. Our journey is ending where another will begin, and to me you’re Snowy, if I was Tin Tin. Your cuddles in the morning and your kisses at night, but your freckles are one of my favourite sights.”

21:30 Amber's reading hers out but has to stop for a little cry. Unrelatedly, I may have just got something in my eye. Give me a second...

“Kem, seven weeks ago I walked into the villa having no idea how much this experience was going to change my life. It’s safe to say we’ve had one of the most challenging journeys. I say this to you everyday but I wouldn’t change any of those bad days we’ve had because it made me realise I found something in someone that I didn’t know was possible to find.”

21:30 Yes! MC Kem is dropping rhymes!

“When we talk about our lives and the things that we’ve been through, it’s mad to meet a girl who’s so caring and true. The relationship got rocky and we both started to fear, the problem was we were scared to show we care. The thought of being vulnerable was pushing each other apart. But when you find a girl that special, you have to follow your heart.”

21:29 A tearful Gabby comes back strong though:

“We go from strength to strength daily which gives me so much excitement and confidence in what the future has to hold for us. It’s been a long time coming but right now I’m especially excited for you to Flip Reverse it. You’re a dream come true, and I love you.”

21:29 It's time for the couples to read their declarations to each other and Marce just dropped some real poetry:

“When I look back at our journey together, there are so many small moments that mean so much to me. Because without these smaller moments this massive moment wouldn’t be happening. Whether it’s the moments like our first kiss on the steps, or your faith in my return from Casa Amor, and how beautiful you looked when I returned back to the villa. You looked stunning. By that point, I knew I was falling for you.”

21:21 Unsurprisingly, the girls ditch those dodgy dresses and turn up to the villa looking very nice indeed. Chris is particularly impressed by "that rocket" Olivia. "Yup that's my girl" says Marcel.

It's all incredibly sweet to be fair...

21:20 As the girls try dresses on, Liv says hers is "The end of my social life and sex life in one dress”. She tells Gabby, “You look like a piece of pork wrapped at the butchers”.

Well, it's the final, she's got nothing to lose has she...?

21:18 The boys have been asked to wear suits. Kem is not keen - and who can blame him, he's been running around in a pair of trunks for the last seven weeks...

Plus, he's "five foot ten... but five foot seven in a suit".

21:15 The Islanders have been asked to put together some words that express how they feel about their other halves. Chris is feeling good about this one as he has "a way with words and really neat handwriting".

The question is, when it comes to laying his words on Liv will he be dropping rhymes?

And more to the point will Stormzy be watching?

21:09 The girls are off to shop for prom dresses. *Spoiler alert* but not everything they try on necessarily works...

21:07 Kem is turning Amber on with his intense eye work and special arm flick, which luckily doesn't connect with her stomach...

21:06 The Islanders are learning to tango ahead of their farewell Prom Night and Jamie has already accidentally punched Camilla in the stomach.

21:04 Right forget the liveness, it's back to VT of the Islanders' last day and Kem wakes up shouting "I'm in the final!" Note "I", not "we". No offence meant Amber, I'm sure...

21:02 And we're live! Her Flackness is in the house, the Islanders are all glammed up and the crowd is upbeat but substantially less like a pit of rabid dogs than a Big Brother crowd...

21:00 Ok, here we go, the last 90 delicious minutes of Love Island goodness, coming our way NOW...

20:58 The brilliantly hysterical Iain Stirling dropping the mic here, after recording his last voiceovers of the series. Good work Iain.

20:54 Or it could just be a really long ad break. Come to think of it, given how phenomenally well Love Island has been performing, I wouldn't be surprised if ITV tried to make space for a few more eager advertisers tonight...

20:52 Interesting, Caroline Flack just appeared on screen telling us that Love Island starts after the break - but there are still a full 8 minutes to go until 9pm. Are we in for an early start? We'll take as much extra Villa goodness as we can get...

20:50 See? Learning can be fun!

20:49 And here are the Islanders as ranked by how much we've all been tweeting about them, starting with the unassuming Lady C at number one...

Most tweeted about Islanders

1. Camilla
2. Jonny
3. Chris
4. Olivia
5. Marcel
6. Kem
7. Amber
8. Tyla
9. Theo
10. Montana
11. Mike
12. Jessica
13. Dom
14. Gabrielle
15. Sam

20:47 Ok, who likes stats? Who doesn't like stats? Amiright? Here's a few Twitter have sent my way about Love Island. First up total number of tweets sent about the series so far: over 7 million - 7,268,127 to be precise. And counting...

20:43 Also, here's a video taster of what to expect in tonight's final...

20:40 Hey, while you're waiting, why don't you listen to our Love Island podcast, where we talk about which couple could/should win that prize of £50,0000...

20:35 That's actually life-size in case you were wondering.

20:34 T minus 26 minutes and counting - time for the first alcoholic beverage of the evening. I'm kicking off with a generous G&T because I'm damned if I'm gonna let the rain ruin my last night of Majorcan sunshine...

20:25 Ok, this is actually Liv reading her words to Chris, not the other way round, but you get the idea... Pretty Promtastic, right?

20:22 And as well as being forced to wear clothes for the evening, the Islanders have been asked to write down their heartfelt feelings about their other halves - and from what I've seen, some do a better job than others.

Aspiring grime artist Chris, of course, does his in rhyme - and no, I'm not even joking.

Let's hope Stormzy is watching...

20:21 ...wait for it... Love Island Prom Night!

It's going to be so romantic. I hope Liv and Amber won't mind too much when Chris asks Kem to be his date...

20:20 ...and the girls heading off to try on horrific dresses for...

20:18 ...the couples' attempts to learn to tango (and yes, there are injuries)

20:17 Part of the joy of Love Island has been the brilliant editing, the fantastic scripts and the (at times literally) hysterical voiceover work by Iain Stirling, so it's good to know that the last episode actually kicks off with quite a chunk of pre-recorded stuff, including...

20:15 So what do we know about tonight's live final? Well, a lot of it isn't live, and it's not exactly final (we'll get a chance to see the Islanders together again in a reunion special next week) but it will be the last time we see them in their natural habitat and it will decide which couple gets to take home that £50,000 prize money.

20:10 I have to admit, it's a bitter-sweet feeling waiting for tonight's show. On one hand we get an unprecedented 95 MINUTES OF LOVE ISLAND, on the other, after that it's all over and we have to go back to reality (as opposed to reality TV) and work out what we're going to do with our lives now...

20:04 Evening all, I'm Paul, and I'll be live-blogging tonight's Love Island final - the conclusion of what I think we can all agree has been not only the best ever series of the ITV2 reality show but also the absolute pinnacle of televisual artistry (I mean, what are you watching at 9pm tonight, Game of Thrones? Didn't think so...)