Monaco resident Josh Stanley wins “Love Island VIP”
Stella and Josh are the winners of ‘Love Island VIP’ 2025 © RTLZWEI, ITV Studios Germany
Monaco-based musician Josh Stanley has won the second season of the German reality show “Love Island VIP” alongside Stella Stegmann, claiming a €50,000 prize which he chose to split with his partner.
A diverse reality TV journey
At 29, Josh Stanley has emerged as one of European reality television’s rising stars. Having grown up in the Principality of Monaco, the Berklee College of Music graduate has built an eclectic portfolio of television appearances: from “Are You The One?” in both the UK and Germany, to RTL2’s “Davina & Shania – We Love Monaco”.
His participation in “Love Island VIP”, which aired from September to November 2025 on RTLZWEI, thrust him into the spotlight. In the grand finale, former contestants voted Josh and Stella as the winning couple, placing them ahead of Jeje Lopes and Umut Tekin, and Laura Blond and Maurice Spada.
A promising musical career
A polyglot who speaks five languages and plays both guitar and piano, Josh Stanley has already released over 25 tracks. His discography includes “Sass Cafe” (2019), “Start Again” (2021), “Are You the One” (2022), and more recently “Sacrifice” (2025). His social media presence boasts around 160,000 Instagram followers.
The challenges of dating in Monaco
In an interview with German newspaper Bild, Josh discussed the difficulties of finding love in the Principality: “In Monaco, it’s very, very difficult to find a relationship. It’s very small and dating is unfortunately very superficial,” he admitted. The young man, who has never been in a committed relationship despite an active romantic life, had hoped to find love on the show.
However, the televised romance didn’t survive the return to reality. A few weeks after the finale, Josh confirmed on RTL’s “Aftershow” podcast that he and Stella had separated: “Today, we’re both single and we’re not together anymore,” he said, adding that he was “very proud” that they tried to make their relationship work off-camera.