EXCLUSIVE: How much will Love Island winners Jess Harding and Sammy Root earn? Brand expert reveals what ITV stars can expect in ONE year – and who REALLY comes out on top

It’s not the result we expected, but Jess Harding and divisive late arrival Sammy Root were crowned Love Island winners on Monday night – they became £50,000 richer in the process.

The pair defeated Zachariah Noble and Molly Marsh, Tyrique Hyde and Ella Thomas and show favorites Lochan Nowacki and Whitney Adebayo for the prize money, much to the chagrin of invested viewers.

Kent-based project manager Sammy had already divided fans with his questionable antics in the villa, including the unorthodox decision to re-couple with Amber Wise – the daughter of former Chelsea footballer Dennis – based on the strength of her kiss.

And experts argue that its unpopularity could affect their chances of making big money once they return to the UK.

“Love Island’s newly crowned winners were not the favorites to win and most of the country expected to leave Whitney and Lochan £50,000 richer,” a brand and culture expert told MailOnline.

“Jess and Sammy have had quite the ride at the Love Island Villa and there have been occasions where Sammy wasn’t exactly complementary to Jess. This could backfire on them in the real world and cost them some deals.

“I think they will make over £500,000 from social media deals. Jess might get a fashion editing deal and Sammy might get some sports endorsements.

“They will make good money from personal appearances, but I don’t think they will force the kind of deals that former winners Ekin-Su and Davide managed to get.”

However, the enduringly popular second-place finisher Whitney and Lochan could potentially earn a combined six-figure sum through a variety of endorsements and TV deals.

“For me, the winners are Whitney and Lochan, who I think will make over a million from fast fashion deals, beauty and social campaigns.

“They were consistently voted most popular in the villa and although they didn’t win, I think they will become the most outstanding stars. I see them appearing on other TV shows and even Dancing On Ice can come and get Whitney.’

The future could also be bright for Molly, who entered the villa with an acting school background – much like one of the most famous winners.

“Another standout star is Molly Marsh and I can see her using her stage school credentials to follow in the footsteps of Amber Davis, who became a West End star and made hundreds of thousands of dollars doing so.

“Already a social media influencer in her own right, I see the confident star becoming a spokesperson for multiple brands.”

Jess and Sammy won this year’s summer edition of the show despite enduring a rollercoaster romance in the villa, thanks in part to Sammy’s quirky behavior.

Viewers were less than impressed when he chatted to Leah Taylor behind Jess’s back when she was chosen to go on a date with new boy Scott van-der-Sluis.

He told her, “I do want to get to know you, but I don’t want to risk what I’m doing if you’re not interested.

“I like to flirt, but with Jess we get along very well, but we didn’t click right away. But when we flirt, with you, when we kiss and flirt, it was more direct.

After getting to know both women, Sammy chose to pair up with Jess again, labeling Leah as a “test”, much to her chagrin.

However, the pair were eventually forced to part ways after a failed compatibility vote by the other islanders – giving Sammy and his wandering eye the chance to continue with newcomer Mal Nicol.

Speaking to Jess about learning about the bomb, he explained, “I’m in a position where I’m not ready to be shut down.

“The point between you and me, we didn’t close the door. Everyone else closed it for us and we had no say in it.’

However, Sammy’s romance with Mal came to an abrupt halt when she was dumped from the villa along with Mehdi Edno after receiving the fewest viewer votes for most popular boy and girl.

After Mal’s departure, Sammy and Jess began to rekindle their relationship, but Casa Amor arrived and again separated the couple.

While Jess stayed true to Sammy at Casa Amor and returned single, the same couldn’t be said of him.

Sammy was tight-lipped with bombshells Amber Wise and Gabby Jeffry on the same night before finally deciding to get together with Amber.

Football legend Dennis Wise’s 19-year-old daughter was initially delighted when Sammy chose to pair up with her again after their brief time together.

After giving Sammy a few days to investigate his connection to Amber, Jess revealed she was at the end of her tether.

She told him, “I wanted to talk to you… realistically I don’t want to be in this situation anymore… I just feel like I’m in a different triangle and I can’t be bothered anymore Sammy.”

“If I put you in three triangles, with three other guys, you wouldn’t have it… I want someone who wants me 100%.”

Jess and Sammy eventually decided to make things official because they “closed off” from other relationships.

However, things changed when new bombshell Josh Brocklebank stole her from Sammy during a dramatic re-coupling.

Sammy finally asked Jess to be his girlfriend during an explosive Love Island episode leading up to the finale.