Last year, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu dominated the headlines following her appearance and subsequent winning of ITV2’s Love Island. The 28-year-old actress, who up until her reality TV debut had mainly appeared on Turkish soap-operas, won the show after finding love with Davide Sanclimenti.
Now, Ekin-Su will be swapping the warm temperatures of the Love Island villa to the icy cold dance floor on ITV’s Dancing On Ice. She joins a whole host of other stars on the programme - Read more about the line up here.
Ekin-Su announced that she’d be taking part on Good Morning Britain and said: “I’ve got some amazing news to tell you, I’m going to be doing this year’s Dancing on Ice! I’m so excited, I can’t wait to get myself on the ice and skate. Stay tuned and see you on the ice!” She'll be dancing with pro skater Brendyn Hatfield on the show.
Read more: ITV Dancing on Ice 2023: Ekin-Su “home with a fever” before first live show
Ekin-Su's time in the villa last year was fraught with drama and her and Davide's relationship had plenty of ups and downs. One of the couple's most notable moments was when the Italian accused her of being a "liar and an actress". Upon winning the show, Ekin-Su and Davide chose to split the £50,000 prize money and are still together to this day. They regularly post updates to their respective social media platforms.
Following their victorious stint on Love Island, ITV gave the couple their own reality TV show. Ekin-Su & Davide: Homecomings saw the couple visit their respective homes of Turkey and Italy, exploring how both cultures are very different to one another.
Ekin-Su has also become a brand ambassador for the fashion brand Oh Polly, signing a deal worth £1 million that will also see her design her own collections. This is not uncommon for Love Island stars and Ekin-Su’s 2021 co-star Gemma Owen signed her own deal with Pretty Little Thing.
Ahead of joining Dancing On Ice, Ekin-Su admitted that she does have somewhat of a skating past. She admitted during an interview with ITV: "I used to ice-skate when I was a little girl - I did a show when I was six or seven and then I started doing ballet. I’ve always had a performance side in my blood and I do think Dancing on Ice will be hard but it’s an opportunity to show a different audience a side to me."
Will that stand her in good stead this year? Dancing On Ice begins on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, January 15 at 6.30pm. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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