Opinion: The true winner of Love Island 2021 was female friendship

Let's go girls.

Let's be honest, it wasn't the best season on Love Island. Better than others we've seen, but not the greatest. We had a rocky start, the initial bunch of lads weren't ideal and the drama was almost nonexistent. But there was once constant over the last eight weeks, something we were always guaranteed - the amazing female friendships we got out of it. Millie and Liam may have won the show, but we all know who the real winners are - the girls. The friendships that came from this season were unmatched, I can't remember a time that we got this many amazing and genuine female friendships in one season. Not only did Kaz and Liberty's relationship steal our hearts, but the other girls constantly had each other's backs, always putting the girl's feelings before anyone else. Typically in the villa, week after week we see a new girl come in and steal someone's man, or even girls already in the villa having their heads turned unexpectedly. But this season was different, the girls respected each other, put each other first and ultimately made lasting relationships. It may not be the point of the show, but the friendship made here were the real winners on Love Island 2021, and we need to see more of this. From day one, Kaz and Liberty hit it off and we just knew they'd be joined by the hip. Once Lucinda and Millie arrived, they along with Chloe were inseparable. While others came and went, the girls were guaranteed to be teary-eyed once a girl left, clearly showing the strong bond they had all created together. But when it came to Jake telling Liberty he loved her, the girls jumped on it immediately, telling Liberty that he wasn't genuine, and protecting her from getting hurt - even the way Faye immediately knew something was wrong and found her outside of the villa spoke volumes. Love Island hasn't seen such powerful female bonds in years, and it was so refreshing to girls having girls backs, and not throwing them under the bus at the first sight of drama. No silly catfights, no unnecessary talking behind other girls' backs, and while I admit that this usually makes great television, this year we could all breathe a sigh of relief to know that women don't always have to be portrayed this way.