LOVE Island is embroiled in a new fix row after Yas let slip she knows what the public call her.
In Saturday night’s Unseen Bits, Yasmin insisted she’s not AI generated after the public started saying they thought she might be an AI bot.
Last month, fans started speculating that Yas might be AI-generated after she displayed some telltale clues.
Viewers noted that she stood stiffly, blinked slowly and barely reacted to events unfolding around her.
Clips of Yasmin sitting bolt upright in her bikini during an episode in June left fans convinced they saw her “glitching” and that she was “robotic”.
One TikTok user posted a video of Yasmin with the caption: “She genuinely scares me,” while another joked, “Is Yasmin AI?” on X, formerly Twitter.
A third viewer wrote: “I saw someone say Yasmin is AI and bro she is literally not real.”
But now Yas has seemingly let slip that she KNOWS the public think she might be AI.
During Unseen Bits on Saturday night, Yas could be seen in the Beach Hut for a confessional moment.
“Oh my god, should I do the robot?” she asked.
She then let slip: “Everyone says I’m AI-generated anyway.”
Fans watching the show were quick to pick up on what Yas had said, with many suspicious and confused over how she knew viewers’ opinions.
“How does YasGPT know that we think she’s AI GENERATED?” asked one fan on X.
“WAIT YASMIN KNOWS ABOUT THE AI THING?” quizzed a second.
“Yas acknowledging thinks she’s ai and then doing the robot dance before confirming she’s acc a human god how did i used to dislike her,” said a third.
“Nah yas actually doing the robot because she knows everyone thinks she ai,” penned a fourth.
Departures:
While a fifth wrote: “YasGPT denying she’s AI.
“Sounds exactly like something someone that’s secretly AI would say!
“You’re not fooling me.”
This comes after an explosive week in the villa that saw Casa Amor unfold, and a bombshell recoupling take place.
On Friday night, the Islanders gathered around a huge screen to watch some unseen moments from throughout the series for Movie Night.
The aftermath of Movie Night will play out in tonight’s episode, which has been teased as being explosive.
CHILDREN chortle as they splash around in the cool, blue waters on the Pembrokeshire coastline – blissfully unaware of the horrors that took place on the cliff path above.
It is 36 years since John Cooper murdered holidaymakers Peter and Gwenda Dixon as they walked along a coastal footpath that runs through Little Haven.
The 1989 incident became known as the Pembrokeshire Murders or the Coastal Murders, and Cooper himself the Bullseye Killer because he’d appeared on the TV show weeks before.
Four years earlier, at a farmhouse just six miles away in Milford Haven, he had also murdered siblings Richard and Helen Thomas.
He infamously evaded justice for around two decades but was finally convicted of all four murders thanks to advancements in forensic techniques – and given a whole life order in 2011.
Cooper was arrested in 2009, just weeks after being released early from prison for other crimes.
He had previously been jailed for 16 years in 1998 for the rape of a 16-year-old girl and sexual assault of another girl, aged 14, in 1996, as well as a spate of robberies and burglaries, before being released in January 2009.
That April, however, cops would begin carrying out a cold case review of his murders, and the following month he was finally detained on his way to the shops.
At Little Haven pub, The Castle, a bar worker told The Sun how she came face to face with the evil killer the day after he murdered the Dixons in 1989.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I was walking through a village near here, Martletwy, a couple of days after the murders and he came cycling slowly towards me on his bike.
“I remember looking at him and thinking this was a man out enjoying a bike ride and he looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world. How wrong can you be sometimes?
“I knew him vaguely, and by name, because we lived in the same area and I sometimes saw him out and about, but never really talked to him.”
She also saw Cooper years later at his brother Edgy’s pub, The Avondale in nearby Hakin, after he had been released from jail in 2009.
She said: “I was with my husband and it was the first time I’d been inside this particular pub.
“We walked in and Cooper was sitting on a barstool at the bar with a pint in his hand. I saw him immediately and my blood just ran cold.
The sad thing is that his brother and the rest of his family still believe Cooper is completely innocent and did not carry out the killings. His family are in denial
Staff member at The Castle pub
“He had that effect on me. It was just something evil about him and all I wanted to do was leave. I think we stayed for one quick drink and then I couldn’t get out of the door fast enough.
“The sad thing is that his brother and the rest of his family still believe Cooper is completely innocent and did not carry out the killings. His family are in denial.”
The killer, now 80, was born on September 3 1944 and – aside from the four murders, rape and sexual assault, he was also convicted of 30 burglaries, as well as a string of other crimes in his life.
Between the ages of 17 and 21, Cooper was charged with theft of a vehicle, assaulting a police officer, being drunk and disorderly, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In 1978, aged 34 and while working as a farm labourer, he scooped £90,000 and a £4,000 car in a newspaper competition.
A pal previously described how the windfall saw Cooper develop a drink problem and gambling habit, as the “winnings went to his head”.
WELSH serial killer John William Cooper was given four life sentences for a series of grisly murders in Pembrokeshire in the 1980s.
Cooper, a diagnosed psychopath, was eventually convicted in 2011 for the double murders of Richard and Helen Thomas, and Peter and Gwenda Dixon, following a cold-case review that started in 2005.
Who is John Cooper and where is he now?
John Cooper, 76, is a serial killer with a long history of crimes which include 30 robberies and violent assault.
He was sentenced to 14 years in 1998 for burglary and robbery but was released in 2009.
Through a cold case review, he was arrested and convicted of two double murders dating back to the 1980s.
Cooper, who unsuccessfully tried to appeal his convictions in September 2011, is still behind bars in an undisclosed prison.
When did Cooper murder four people in Pembrokeshire?
Cooper was referred to as the Bullseye Killer because he appeared on the popular game show four years after killing two siblings in Scoveston Park.
He murdered brother and sister Richard and Helen Thomas then burned down their house on December 22, 1985.
On 28 May 1989, Cooper participated in a recording of the ITV game show Bullseye.
Just one month later, he robbed Peter Dixon of £300 and shot him and his wife Gwenda in the face at point blank range.
The murders became known as the Pembrokeshire murders.
How long was the investigation into the deaths?
Cooper infamously evaded justice for around two decades but was finally convicted using the most advanced forensic techniques of the time.
On May 26, 2011, Cooper was given a whole life order for the 1985 double murder of siblings Richard and Helen Thomas, and the 1989 double murder of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, following an eight-week trial.
His first prison sentence allowed cops to collect further evidence against him to convict.
The unnamed friend told The Mirror in 2011, following his life sentence: “It was a life-changing amount of money and I saw a real change in him.
“He spent most of it in pubs and bookies… People were scared of him and he got into a lot of fights. As his money dried up he started the robberies.”
They added: “I dread to think how many people he attacked. I expect the court case was just the tip of the iceberg. The murders do not surprise me. He is evil.”
All four of his murder victims were blasted to death with a shotgun at point blank range.
On December 22 1985, Cooper targeted a three-storey farmhouse at Scoveston Park, near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, intending to burgle it, but killed millionaire farmer Richard Thomas, 58, and his sister Helen Thomas, 56, and then burned down the home.
On June 29 1989, Peter, 51, and Gwenda Dixon, 52, were on holiday in the county and set off for a walk along the coastal path but never returned.
Their bodies were later found – the couple had been tied up. Cooper had held them at gunpoint and forced them to disclose their PIN numbers, after snatching their bank cards.
He robbed Peter of £300 and shot both him and his wife in the face.
In March 1996 Cooper attacked five youths, threatening them at gunpoint before sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and raping another, aged 16, in a wooded area behind the Mount Estate in his hometown of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
Cooper was arrested in 1998 after a bungled armed raid and was jailed for 16 years.
Detectives suspected him of the four killings at the time but had no evidence.
But it was not until 2006, after significant advances in technology and forensics, that Dyfed-Powys Police were able to link microscopic DNA and fibres from the murders to other serious crimes. Those included the rape and robberies that Cooper was already serving time for.
DNA evidence revealed a drop of Peter Dixon’s blood on a pair of khaki shorts taken from Cooper’s home and the police managed to recover the shotgun used in both double murders.
In 2009, just a few months after Cooper was released from prison, he was re-arrested as he walked to the shops in his home town of Letterston, near Fishguard.
In Little Haven this week, locals recalled the six-day manhunt for the Dixons after the alarm was raised by their son when they did not return to their Oxfordshire home after their holiday in Wales.
Among those searching for the pair, who Cooper had robbed before dumping them in bushes alongside the coast path, was Howard Jones, then a young reporter on his local weekly newspaper, the Western Telegraph,
Howard, who joined hundreds of locals, police officers and RNLI lifeboat teams scouring the Pembrokeshire coastline, told of the personal struggle he faced, balancing his professional obligations with his responsibilities to the community where he lived.
“It was a very delicate balance because on the one hand the disappearance of two people was a big story for us, but at the same time it was uppermost in my thoughts that I had to be sensitive to the feelings of local people, who were my friends and neighbours,” he told The Sun.
“We searched for days, with little sleep, until we found the bodies. My role had been to support the lifeboat crews.
“When we found the bodies, it was a horrible moment. Everyone here was absolutely devastated.
“None of us could understand how such a beautiful, peaceful part of the world could be a place where a double murder could take place. A second double murder, in fact.
“Little Haven was absolutely swarming with police.”
Howard, who later abandoned journalism for a career in corporate communications, both in Hong Kong and Dubai before returning to Little Haven several years ago to live and work as a taxi driver, is one of the few residents from that time still living in the coastal village.
He said: “I try not to think about those murders now, but sometimes the memories come flooding back and it is still distressing after all these years.
“On a sunny day like this, seeing everybody on the beach and in the sea enjoying themselves, it seems unthinkable that anything so awful could ever have happened here.
“I think most of these holidaymakers here today are oblivious to what happened here, and nearby in Milford Haven, and to be honest I’d be very happy for them to remain oblivious. Let them enjoy their time here.”
During the lengthy police investigation into the Pembrokeshire murders, Howard’s loyalty to his community, desperate to have the killer caught, was tested when he overheard police officers reveal they believed the culprit had been using a credit card stolen from the dead couple at cashpoint machines in the area.
Cops, who by now had artist impressions of the murderer, were lying in wait at numerous cashpoint locations and wanted to keep this information secret.
He said: “They asked me to keep it under my hat so I didn’t scupper a potentially significant line of enquiry and I reluctantly agreed to keep quiet about it, not least because I felt I owed it to my local community.
“I didn’t want to write anything that might prevent the police from finding the killer.”
Reflecting on the impact Cooper had on the community in Pembrokeshire, Howard, now 63, said: “I think the fact that his poor, long-suffering wife, Patricia, died of a heart attack in the bath the night Cooper was released from jail in 2008 for a string of other hideous crimes says everything about what kind of man he is.
“The stress of him returning to live with her literally killed her.”
Detective Chief Superintendant Steve Wilkins – played by Hollywood actor Luke Evans in miniseries The Pembrokeshire Murders in 2021 – previously spoke to WalesOnline about what happened to Patricia.
He said: “She’d had 10 years away from this man who was an absolute beast and suddenly he was back in the house. She had massive heart conditions but I think the poor lady just gave up.”
He said there was “nothing” linking her death to her husband, but recalled getting a call at 3am from the control room telling him Cooper had just phoned up to say his wife was dead.
Det Ch Supt Wilkins added: “You can imagine what went through my mind. But she had three different heart conditions that would’ve killed her. There was nothing suspicious in it.”
She’d had 10 years away from this man who was an absolute beast and suddenly he was back in the house. She had massive heart conditions but I think the poor lady just gave up.
Detective Chief Superintendant Steve Wilkins
Most of the holidaymakers we spoke to in Little Haven were aware of the Pembrokeshire murders, but many did not know that two of the killings took place in the village.
One, Jan, now 82, and a retired personal assistant to a former boss of Welsh rugby at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), said: “I’m here for two weeks holiday and I went online to read all about the Pembrokeshire murders last night because I met someone earlier in the day who told me that these awful killings happened here.
“I was aware of the Pembrokeshire murders back in the day because I’ve always kept up with the news, but it hasn’t registered two of them happened in Little Haven and the others very nearby.
“It must have been devastating for the village at the time. It seems so completely incongruous that something so awful happened in a place like this, with all its natural beauty and peace and charm.”
Cooper was only arrested after Senior Investigating Officer Steve Wilkins was put in charge of a cold case review of the Pembrokeshire murders in 2005.
Advances in DNA and forensic evidence meant that when police finally questioned Cooper, they were able to link a gun used in a robbery he had been convicted of to the murder weapon used to kill the Dixons.
Just weeks earlier, Cooper had mentioned his love of the Pembrokeshire coast during his appearance on Bullseye.
After an eight-week murder trial at Swansea Crown Court, Mr Justice John Griffith Williams said Cooper was “a very dangerous man, highly predatory who, but for advances in forensic science, may well have continued to evade capture.”
The whole life order means he will never be released from prison.
In September 2011, he launched an appeal against his convictions. His appeal was rejected in November 2012.
THE thrills and spills of the summer transfer window are well underway with some huge deals in the pipeline over the next few weeks!
Newcastle could launch a club-record £86million swoop for Hugo Ekitike after reigniting their interest in the French forward.
In other news, Chelsea are looking to sign PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is set to take on the Blues in the Club World Cup final.
Elsewhere, Juventus and Man Utd remain in talks over a transfer for flop winger Jadon Sancho.
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Follow ALL the latest news, moves and completed deals with our live blog below…
THUGS are taking over the streets of London’s most popular tourist hotspots snatching £50million worth of phones last year.
Data obtained by The Sun reveals the worst hit areas across Greater London, with one popular tourist hotspot hit by as many as 37 mobile thefts daily on average.
The Metropolitan Police has warned that gangs are pocketing millions, with phone thefts “on an industrial scale”.
Almost 80,000 handsets were stolen last year – that’s up by about 16,000 on 2023.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, tourist hotspots tend to rank highest, which is especially worrying for anyone planning on venturing into the capital over the summer.
However, hundreds of incidents were reported in typically residential areas up and down Greater London, too.
We are seeing phone thefts on an industrial scale, fuelled by criminals making millions by being able to easily sell on stolen devices either here or abroad
Met Police
The data from the Met Police is broken down in wards and includes both robbery offences and theft offences.
It doesn’t include areas represented by the City of London Police.
Among these, the West End comes out as the worst place for phone thefts, with a staggering 13,578 cases logged – the equivalent to 37 handsets every day on average.
St James’s – which covers areas around Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and all the way along the famous Stand – ranked second with some 6,693 recorded incidents.
Bloomsbury, Holborn & Covent Garden, Borough & Bankside, as well as Waterloo & South Bank also clocked up more than 1,000 reports in total.
Other popular areas to be targeted include Hyde Park with 550, Stratford Olympic Park with 865 and Camden Town with 906.
The Met Police told The Sun that criminals behind the problem are making millions by being able to easily sell on stolen devices either here or abroad.
“We are seeing phone thefts on an industrial scale,” a Met Police spokesperson told The Sun.
“In response, we have increased patrols in hotspot areas while officers are using phone-tracking data and intelligence to pursue those responsible.
“By intensifying our efforts, we’re catching more perpetrators and protecting people from having their phones stolen in the capital.
“The Met is also working with other agencies and government to tackle the organised criminality driving this trade and calling on tech companies to make stolen phones unusable.
“We are reminding victims to report their phone as stolen as soon as possible to maximise the chance of catching the perpetrator, too often thefts are reported hours or days later.”
There are many obvious ways to avoid falling victim to phone snatching gangs, such as being aware of your surroundings and putting your phone away when you’ve finished using it.
But there are settings on your mobile you need to switch on.
Primarily, you should have location tracking activated to help police pinpoint where your mobile is.
On iPhone, it’s known as Find My and on Android it’s Find My Device.
You can find these within the settings.
There’s also another important trick to try available on Android.
It may not result in you getting your phone back, but can prevent thieves causing more devastation by raiding through your banking apps to steal money.
Theft Detection Lock cleverly uses motion sensors to pick up on the sort of movements associated with a phone being snatched and whisked away.
When it’s detected, your phone automatically locks so criminals can’t dig around your device.
While iPhone doesn’t have the same feature, there is Stolen Device Protection.
This kicks in when you’re away from familiar locations like your home and work.
It means that if someone steals your device while you’re out and about after seeing your passcode, they can’t make “critical” changes.
So accessing your stored passwords and credit cards will require Face ID or Touch ID. There’s no option to use a passcode instead.
And there’s also a Security Delay feature.
So if you want to change your Apple Account passcode, you’ll have to wait an hour and then perform a second Face ID or Touch ID scan.
To turn it on, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, and turn Stolen Device Protection on.
Android users can turn on Theft Detection Lock by following these steps:
PAUL O’CONNELL admitted he felt sorry for Portugal as Ireland ran in a record-breaking 16 tries in Lisbon to register their biggest Test win in the first encounter between the two nations.
Connacht pair Hugh Gavin and Shayne Bolton went over twice on their debuts and there was also a brace each for club-mate Cian Prendergast and Leinster wing Tommy O’Brien.
With Munster fly-half Jack Crowley landing 12 of his 15 conversion attempts — Ireland were also awarded a penalty try — the margin of victory eclipsed their previous biggest win when they scored 13 tries in an 83-3 defeat of the USA in 2000.
Interim boss POC told Virgin Media: “I feel sorry for Portugal but we were very clinical and took our chances.
“It is a unique summer tour given the Lions tour is on at the same time but I am very happy with how our squad applied themselves.”
O’Connell was without 17 players — who are all on tour with the Lions — but his new-look side ruthlessly exposed the chasm between them and their hosts.
The former lock made six changes following last week’s 34-5 win against Georgia in Tbilisi and his men went over for FOUR converted tries in the opening 14 minutes.
Centre Stuart McCloskey touched down in the corner after full-back Jimmy O’Brien’s break straight from the kick-off and fellow centre Gavin stormed over for his first debut try in the ninth minute.
Tommy O’Brien finished off another scything break in the corner and opposite wing Bolton sprinted in after breaking clear for a try on his bow, with Crowley adding his fourth conversion.
Portugal full-back Nuno Guedes had a try disallowed for a forward pass before the Wolves were dealt another blow when captain Tomas Appleton was carried off on a stretcher due to an ankle injury.
Crowley sent Tommy O’Brien in for his second try and prop Tom Clarkson bulldozed through a tired tackle for Ireland’s sixth touchdown in the 33rd minute.
Bolton out-sprinted Portugal’s defence to touch down Craig Casey’s kick ahead and the latter’s pass after hooker Gus McCarthy’s break sent Gavin over for his second score.
Crowley landed his seventh conversion to put Ireland 54-0 ahead at the interval.
Scrum-half Casey followed up Bolton’s break to go in under the posts 90 seconds after the restart and Prendergast barged over for an unconverted score to extend Ireland’s lead to 66-0 in the 51st minute.
The struggling Portuguese were given some respite when centre Vincent Pinto’s offload set up flanker Nicolas Martins for a converted try but the green giants hit straight back.
Replacements Calvin Nash and Ciarán Frawley touched down soon after stepping off the bench and Prendergast then notched his second try.
And when debutant flanker Alex Kendellen went over for another converted score in the 73rd minute, Ireland moved 92-7 ahead.
Replacement scrum-half Ben Murphy’s try nudged Ireland nearer to triple figures.
And Portugal’s misery was complete when they conceded a penalty try in the final play of the game for bringing down a maul.
O’Connell added: “It is great to get some guys capped and scoring tries and training in an international environment.”
SCORERS — Portugal: Tries, Martins; con, Aubry.
Ireland: Tries, McCloskey, Gavin 2, T O’Brien 2, Bolton 2, Clarkson, Casey, Prendergast 2, Nash, Frawley, Kendellen, Murphy, penalty; cons, Crowley 12.
VETERAN goalkeeper Scott Carson hopes to carry on playing after leaving Manchester City.
The former England No 1, whose contract ended last month, collected medals galore as the third choice between the sticks during a six-season spell at the Etihad.
And despite a severe lack of playing time over that period, the 39-year-old is now looking to get off the bench and back in goal for another season.
Carson has his eyes on ideally returning to action in the Championship.
The former Derby and Liverpool stopper has been limited to emergency cover during his six year stint at City.
In fact, since first making a move to the Etihad in 2019, Carson has played just TWO GAMES – last taking to the pitch for a 17 minute cameo against Sporting Lisbon in a Champions League game in 2022.
He has earned himself a trophy cabinet that would be the envy of most players in that time too, getting his hands on the Champions League, four Premier League titles, two League Cups, one Uefa Supercup and the Club World Cup.
Carson started his career back in 2003 at Leeds United and went on to play for the likes of Aston Villa, West Brom, Bursaspor and Wigan.
While he also earned four caps for England, doing so between 2007 and 2011.
Although Carson has been unable to strut his stuff on the pitch very often, City’s players and staff have often lauded him for being a crucial member of the dressing room during their period of prolonged success.
Here's a little look at Carson's club career so far...
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Pep Guardiola previously said of the gloveman: “The best advice I could give to the young players is to stay around Scott Carson as much as possible in the locker room and on the pitch.
“It would be better than being with me. If they spend a lot of time [with him], listen to him and pay attention, that is the best advice and learning they can get about their future careers.
“Every second he is training and every minute you get on the pitch and in the changing room [with Carson], you value.
“It’s like the young actors have to be with the old actors on the set. They are wiser and have the values of the profession.”
His influence away from the pitch could go some way to explaining the handsome figure of £8.5MILLION that he has pocketed during his time with City.
Those earnings mean Carson has banked £4.25m per game and over £350,000 per touch.
A MAJOR search operation is underway after two people went missing at a Spanish holiday hotspot hit by torrential rains.
Rescuers fear that both people were swept away by the Foix River in Cubelles near Barcelona amid heavy storms.
The river is said to have burst its banks after floodgates on the dam, which had accumulated a lot of water from the storm, were opened.
According to the Fire Department, the missing people were crossing the river on a footbridge when the current swept them away.
Footage shows rescuers in a helicopter looking for the missing people over the river.
Torrential rains have hit Spain’s Catalonia – sparking a red alert from the weather department.
Train service was suspended in Catalonia on Saturday, as much of the Spanish region was placed on high alert over possible torrential rains, officials said.
Spain‘s weather service Aemet said that 90 millimetres of rain could fall in the space of an hour later on Saturday near Barcelona and the Tarragona region.
Calling the situation “extraordinary”, the weather service warned that torrential rains could cause flooding and urged residents to follow authorities’ instructions.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Barcelona was flooded and had to refuse patients.
Roads were blocked, and a plane that took off from Barcelona for the United States had to turn back after its nose was damaged by hail.
Other regions of the north, such as Aragon, were also hit by heavy rain on Saturday.
It comes as Storm DANA has caused the weather agency to activate red, orange and yellow warnings across dozens of Spanish regions.
AEMET forecasted orange-level warnings on Saturday for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
These regions have been battered by extreme rainfall and potential flash floods, which could disrupt holidays and cause huge damage to neighbourhoods.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to several towns in Zaragoza to help relieve the damage caused by the brutal rainfall.
Local rescue teams reported over 30 flood-related incidents, including fallen trees and blocked roads, but no casualties.
Shocking footage showed cars being swept away under the waves as intense rainfall pummelled Spanish streets.
Hailstorm was seen pelting the pavements as locals took shelter from the dangerous weather.
There will also be storm warnings in several other regions, including Alicante and Valencia, the Ribera del Ebro in La Rioja and the Iberian Rioja, and Álava, among others.
Spain’s national forecaster said that unstable air was moving across the north and east of the Iberian Peninsula, bringing heavy showers, thunderstorms, and in some places, torrential downpours.
PERUSING the offerings on sale, Kiki Delichte weighs up her options.
A nice vintage one-off for £3,451 that would need a little restoration work, or she could fork out another £700 for a larger piece with fewer flaws.
But Kiki isn’t perusing eBay for a vintage designer bag but rather she’s house-hunting for her dream home in Italy.
The 28-year-old moved across the world to renovate a 600-year-old medieval home – because house prices in her hometown had “sky-rocketed”.
Kiki was stunned by the local property market when she came across the tiny Italian town of Mussomeli online where historic homes were going for “the price of a handbag”.
The 28-year-old snapped up a 17-room pad for just £22,800, (€27,000) – a fraction of the estimated £367,000 ($500,000) one closer to home would have cost, and has been restoring it ever since.
Despite involving a move across the world to a place she doesn’t know a soul, Kiki is embracing the challenge full-heartedly, throwing herself into renovations.
“It started as a bit of a wild idea,” Kiki, who works in fashion PR, says .
“I had always seen news stories about cheap homes but never seriously considered it.”
Kiki, who is originally from Canada, had been living in LA and quickly found the city overwhelming.
“I’d been living in the city for years, surrounded by constant pressure to chase a version of success that didn’t actually fit me,” she says.
“Life felt expensive, overstimulating, and still a little soulless.
“I experienced a lot of loss and pain, and eventually, when I finally picked my head up and really looked around, I realised I wasn’t living in a way that felt true to me, and I wasn’t even sure why.
“Then I came across this tiny Italian town where you could buy a historic home for the price of a handbag.
“It wasn’t some carefully calculated life plan, it was a gut feeling that there was a richer, more grounded way to live.”
Kiki soon found her future home, which she says cost just a fraction of the price of what a house would cost in the US – playing a huge role in her decision.
Kiki says: “I’d been living in LA for over a decade and the real estate market there is laughable.
“Even in Canada, prices have skyrocketed.
“I was working hard, doing well, but owning a home, let alone a dream home, always felt just out of reach.
“I couldn’t justify spending half a million dollars on something that didn’t feel special.
“Then I realised that for a fraction of that I could own a literal piece of history.
“The math just started to make sense in a way that North America never did.”
At some points she was paying £1,830, ($2,500), a month for a one-bedroom apartment.
She explains: “That didn’t include parking or peace of mind.
“Nor with castle views and cobblestone charm.
“Rent felt like a monthly punishment for staying somewhere I wasn’t thriving.
“It wasn’t sustainable long-term, financially or emotionally.”
But it was not only the price that influenced Kiki who was looking for a change of pace when it came to her lifestyle.
She says: “In LA, everything felt like a rush — fast food, fast fashion, fast success.
“In Mussomeli, time feels expansive.
I don’t need to pay to escape chaos, I just step outside and I’m in a 14th-century fairytale
Kiki Delichte
“I’ll be cooking more, walking more, talking to neighbours, hosting dinners instead of scrolling.
“My daily life will be rooted in connection, creativity, and calm.
“I’ll still be working and creating, but from a place that nourishes me. It’s not about slowing down completely, it’s about being intentional.”
So far she has spent £42,185 (€50,000) on renovations to the 600-year-old pad.
She says: “This is a historic home, the kind of place that reveals new surprises behind every wall.
“To me, this isn’t just a house, it’s an experience, an art project, a home base for my future, and a way to live life a little differently.
“So I’m more than happy with the investment.
“I’m building a spa with a jacuzzi and sauna, and full bar, because if you’re going to bring a home back to life, why not make it a little magical?”
Kiki estimates that the total will land somewhere around £101,250 – £118,140, (€120,000 – €140,000).
She adds: “I want it to feel like the ultimate home for peace and tranquillity.
“A place where I can bring all my loved ones together and experience something special and rare.
“It is the kind of place that feeds your soul and makes you feel at home the second you walk inside.
“I’m also building a library as an homage to the home’s previous owner, a Sicilian scholar and professor.
“It felt only right to preserve that legacy and create a space where books, ideas, and conversation are front and centre.”
Kiki now splits her time between Sicily, LA and Canada while renovations continue, but she is almost ready to move in full-time.
She estimates it’ll save her around £2,200, ($3,000 a month) once renovations are finished.
She says: “Rent alone is already eliminated.
“Groceries, utilities, dining out, everything is more affordable here.”
And she’s not wrong, according to local prices you can expect to pay around £3.40 for a pint, less than most supermarket sandwiches.
Kiki says that another benefit is that she no longer has to pay for holidays.
“I don’t need to pay to escape chaos, I just step outside and I’m in a 14th-century fairytale,” she says.
“This house felt like a chance to take something forgotten and make it beautiful again.
Depending on the region, a number of towns and villages across Italy have offered the cheap €1 properties to encourage people to move to the area.
There are around 25 regions who are taking part, each with a number of properties.
Many of the areas have a dwindling or aging population and hope to build the community again.
The properties range from small houses to larger villas, but are all in a very rundown condition.
The conditions for buying each property also vary, but the majority of them need large renovation works which are part of the scheme
“There’s a kind of romance to that.”
And to anyone else looking to take a leap of faith, she says that “life doesn’t have to follow the script”.
She got the keys to her new home in January, started renovating in March and is moving in next month to do the finishing touches.
Kiki, originally from Winnipeg, Canada, says: “You don’t need a five-year plan, a perfect timeline, or anyone’s permission to build a life that feels good.
“I bought an old, crumbling house in a tiny Sicilian town with no real plan beyond: this feels right.
“And it’s led to more freedom, joy, and community than I could have imagined.
I’m just healthier mentally, physically, and spiritually than I ever was in North America
Kiki Delichte
“The life I’ve built here feels amazing.”
For work, as of now – she is continuing her career in fashion PR.
She adds: “But once my home is completed I plan to start a business here.
“What business exactly, I’m not entirely sure, but I have a few ideas that I’m working on.
“I’m just healthier mentally, physically, and spiritually than I ever was in North America.
“It’s truly remarkable what this town has given me, and the version of myself I’ve been able to return to because of this journey.”
