Cierra Ortega is bidding farewell to her fleeting romance within the confines of Love Island USA. Just two weeks after she was booted off the Peacock reality show due to her past use of a racial slur, forcing her partner, Nic Vansteenberghe, to later couple up with fellow Islander Olandria Carthen, the 25-year-old has opened up about her true sentiments regarding their relationship.
"You look happier," Cierra captioned a July 20 Instagram video of herself vacationing in Greece. "Thanks," she continued. "I booked a flight to Mykonos after enduring the villain edit on reality TV, realizing I never truly had the heart of the guy who secretly pined for my friend all along." The video's audio underscored her point: "I didn't even get to break up with him, and he's already moved on to the next girl."
Since her exit from the Fijian paradise during the July 6 episode of the dating show, Cierra has taken full accountability for her controversial actions and has implored fans to spare her loved ones from the situation's aftermath.
"What's been incredibly tough is witnessing how people are targeting my family," she lamented in a July 9 Instagram video. "ICE has been called on them. My family no longer feels secure in their own home. I'm receiving death threats—there's no reason to combat hate with more hate. I don't believe that's justice."
"I deserved punishment for my actions, and I've certainly received it," she continued. "The backlash has been immensely challenging to handle, but I understand why people are perplexed by my words."
On his end, Nic—who finished second alongside Olandria during the finale—shed light on his decision not to leave the villa with Cierra.
"It was an ordinary day," the 24-year-old recounted on the July 15 episode of Chicks in the Office. "She just left for some personal reason or another." Ultimately, he felt he lacked sufficient context to make a permanent decision.
"I had to have a heart-to-heart with myself and consider the behind-the-scenes factors," he recalled. "I also told myself, 'If whatever is happening outside aligns with values I don't share, it might appear as though I'm supporting it.'" So, he gave himself a chance to stay in the villa.
"Now, seeing the situation for what it is and whether those values resonate with mine," he added, "I have a clearer perspective on it."
