Ekin-Su Culculoglu from Celebrity Big Brother opens up about hiding her vulnerable side and life after Love Island during interview with Fern Britton

Ekin-Su Culculoglu revealed she finds it ‘overwhelming to always be a role model’ as she opened up about life after Love Island on Celebrity Big Brother on Tuesday.

The reality star, 29, who won the ITV2 series with ex boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti in 2022, said she ‘hides her vulnerable side’ from the public.

Once leaving the villa and finding fame, she landed a number of huge brand deals which she admitted left her ‘not knowing who she was’ anymore.

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Speaking with housemate Fern Britton, 66, Ekin-Su also briefly discussed her relationship with Davide.

She said: ‘I genuinely didn’t think anything of Love Island, I went in there and thought I’d leave within two weeks, I was just myself in there and it was a lonely place at times.

Ekin-Su Culculoglu revealed she finds it ‘overwhelming to always be a role model’ as she opened up about life after Love Island on Celebrity Big Brother on Tuesday

The reality star, 29, who won the ITV2 series with ex boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti in 2022 (pictured), said she ‘hides her vulnerable side’ from the public

‘It was two years ago now and I did meet love on the show which was great at the time and I have great memories with that person and I have no bad vibes from him, I will treasure those great times we had and I hope he is fine and well.

‘But there was a moment after that where everything got to much with the brand deals and the fame and I didn’t know who I was.

‘People look up to me as the like this confident person but I feel like there is such a vulnerable side that I hide, that I don’t show to the public and its normally the side where I do like an appearance and then afterwards I’ll go home and cry.’

Fern asked whether the influencer suffers from imposter syndrome prompting Ekin-Su to say she struggles to ‘open up’ and has learnt to ‘just smile’ through everything.

Ekin-Su replied: ‘I don’t know, I think it’s just overwhelming to always be this strong role model to girls all the time and there’s stuff going on in life that I can’t open up to people about and I just smile and say “I’m good, I’m fine”.’

Fern replied: ‘There will come a time in life where you feel like you can open up and that will make you a better role model to show that we all have s*** in out lives and have to deal with it’.

It comes after Celebrity Big Brother viewers slammed Ekin-Su for her ‘being on too many reality shows’ – fresh off her stint on the US’ version of The Traitors.

She was also pointed out by fellow housemate Louis Walsh, 71, as he gave Sharon Osbourne, also 71, the low down as they hid in the secret lair.

Once leaving the villa and finding fame, she landed a number of huge brand deals which she admitted left her ‘not knowing who she was’ anymore

Speaking to Fern Britton, she said: ‘People look up to me as the like this confident person but I feel like there is such a vulnerable side that I hide, its normally the side where I do an appearance and then afterwards I’ll go home and cry’

Fern asked whether the influencer suffers from imposter syndrome prompting Ekin-Su to say she struggles to ‘open up’ and has learnt to ‘just smile’ through everything

Saying: ‘Ekin-Su is her name, she’s been on every show, she’s done a lot of TV’.

Before adding: ‘She won Love Island’.

After winning the ITV2 reality show in 2022 Ekin-Su and ex Davide bagged in their own spin-off show, before she went on to appear in Dancing On Ice, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip and US The Traitors.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one viewer said: ‘Ekin-Su will do anything to stay relevant, so she’ll go on every reality TV show there is’.

While a second wrote: ‘Ekin-Su appears on anything nowadays’.

A third commented: ‘No Ekin-Su she’s everywhere these days. Not a fan. First Z Lister I guess’.

And: ‘Ugh does Ekin-Su want to get her face on anything else’.

With someone else saying: ‘Ekin-Su went from Traitors to Celebrity Big Brother’.

Speaking about her numerous TV appearances before entering the house Ekin-Su said every different show has ‘helped her develop as a person’.

Saying: ‘I grew in Love Island, I grew in Traitors US and I know with Big Brother that I’m definitely going to develop and come out a better version of myself and a version that I don’t even know exists right now’.

Before adding: ‘I can’t wait to see what happens in there with different people I’ve never met before!’