Love Island USA’s Miguel Gushes Over Leah as a Reality Star of the Year

Love Island USA’s Miguel Gushes Over Leah as a Reality Star of the Year

October 9, 2024

Ben Symons/Peacock

Love Island USA star Miguel Harichi is Leah Kateb’s biggest fan — and he’s extra proud of her for landing an honor in Us Weekly’s Reality Stars of the Year issue.

“I’ll have to get a magazine and put it on the wall. I love it!” Harichi told Us Weekly exclusively as Got Milk? debuted their “Real Matches Are Back” campaign at Mel’s Drive-In in West Hollywood on Tuesday, October 8. “She’s a big people person and just seeing how much people really love her and admire her and have such a deep respect for her, it just made me feel good.”

Harichi and Kateb got together on season 6 of the Peacock show after her messy love triangle with Rob Rausch.

“I know how she was feeling in the villa. I knew that there were days where she felt really down. There were times where she felt worse than that. To come out and have such a strong support, the love she’s receiving is just so deserved,” Harichi continued. “Everywhere we go, people are like, ‘I love you, Leah! Oh, you too, Miguel.’ Don’t even worry about me. I don’t care. I just love seeing her get the love. It genuinely makes me feel so good.”


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Harichi, who was born in England, gushed that the couple are “better than ever” as he spends time in her native Los Angeles, where he hopes to stay at least “a little bit longer” when he gets his “papers sorted.”

Love Island USA Miguel Reacts to Leah Being 1 of Us Weekly Reality Stars of the Year
Presley Ann/Getty Images

“I would have never thought going into the show prior that I would have left with someone I care so deeply about. It’s honestly surreal,” he told Us. “I was saying to her the other day, waking up next to her doesn’t get old. I feel deeper in love with her day by day, and to be able to share this experience with her and to even share new experiences with her, I wouldn’t have asked for anything more. I think Leah’s the best thing to come out of the show.”

Us clearly agrees, but Kateb was actually surprised by the feedback post-show.


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They got a text — and found love in the Love Island USA villa. The beloved British dating show made its way across the pond in 2019, following a crop of American bombshells searching for The One in a luxury tropical villa. In season 1, eventual winners Elizabeth Weber and Zac Mirabelli had a connection […]

“It’s so different from what I thought was going on on the outside,” Kateb, 25, said in the new issue of Us. “I’m really grateful everyone gave me a lot of grace. It’s cool that it’s more acceptable to show all of those parts instead of, ‘Oh, my gosh, she said one horrible thing, so now she’s a villain.’”

During her chat with Us, Kateb also had nothing but praise for Harichi.

“I have never met someone like Miguel. I think he is the best guy and only guy ever for me,” she told Us. “I never get tired of him and I feel like he offers me so much insight. He is really wise and he calms me down in so many ways,” she says. “I feel like he always has me laughing and he is so patient with me and very receptive to everything. He is the happiest, most pure person.”

Harichi was on hand to support costar Kordell Beckham at Tuesday’s event, which kicked off cuffing season with the creators of iconic “Got Milk?” to debut the “Real Matches are Back” digital creative campaign. The Love Island USA stars were in attendance for the “milkshakes and morning jammies-themed” speed-dating experience at Mel’s Drive-in.

“We have 50 people tonight that are participants to do real-life speed-dating and I’m just kicking starting it off, trying to get the energy right, get everybody hyped for this event because people are gonna potentially find someone here,” Beckham told Us. “And if they don’t, it could potentially be friendship. [Plus],there’s gonna be milkshakes. We’re all in our PJs right now. There’s food from Mel’s and it’s just gonna be a whole bunch of good times. I’m excited.”