Davina McCall, ex-Big Brother host, comments on the Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu controversy: ‘She must face tough questions, but also receive care’

Davina McCall has weighed in on the drama surrounding Celebrity Big Brother’s Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, since she was ejected from the house last week.

The reality veteran, 29, who won Love Island in 2020, has since caused a social media storm by insisting she was badly-edited on the show without a true depiction of her behaviour, during a very tense interview on Late & Live.

Now, former Big Brother host Davina, 56, has given her say on the situation with very stern words to both Ekin-Su and the popular ITV show.

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She claimed the show has a ‘duty of care’ to support celebrities ‘no matter how they behave’ on the programme, but admitted Ekin-Su should be held accountable for her behaviour.

Davina also added a worrying explanation, claiming everyone ‘needs to be softer on’ Ekin-Su and that she ‘needs to be looked after’.

Davina McCall, 56, has weighed in on the drama surrounding Celebrity Big Brother’s Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, since she was ejected from the house last week

The reality veteran, 29, who won Love Island in 2020, has since caused a social media storm by insisting she was badly-edited on the show without a true depiction of her behaviour, during a very tense interview on Late & Live

During an interview with Virgin Radio UK, she said: ‘What you have to appreciate about people going in there is that Big Brother asked people to go in there. 

‘So in a way we [hosts] have a duty of care to look after the people when they come out, no matter how they behaved. We put them in there so we have to kind of make sure they are taken care of. 

‘At the same time, if they have done something and then the general public is feeling something, as a presenter you owe it to the general public to ask the questions that are being asked by the general public about their behaviour.’

She added: ‘One of the reasons why I haven’t gone into the house since I stopped presenting is because I don’t want people to see all of me. They’re probably bits of me that I wouldn’t like if people saw it on TV.’

Davina urged: ‘ It’s unedited, we film 24/7. It’s the part of yourself that you don’t like so much and you see it and your like “ugh”. So we all have to appreciate that for Ekin-Su, it’s a very hard thing to do. 

‘You go in somewhere, it’s high pressure, you do all these tests, you might not get on with people, you know it is really hard. There needs to be a bit of give and take. 

‘She needs to be asked those difficult questions because that’s what the public want answers too but she also needs to be looked after. We need to be a bit softer on her. I hope she’s alright.’

Ekin-Su’s withdrawal comes after her Late And Live descended into chaos as she clashed with Layton Williams after her eviction from the house. 

Now, former Big Brother host Davina has given her say on the situation with very stern words to both Ekin-Su and the popular ITV show (pictured in 2002 on CBB)

She claimed the show has a ‘duty of care’ to support celebrities ‘no matter how they behave’ on the programme

Davina also added a worrying explanation, claiming everyone ‘needs to be softer on’ Ekin-Su and that she ‘needs to be looked after’ (Ekin-Su pictured)

During an interview with Virgin Radio UK, she said: ‘So in a way we [hosts] have a duty of care to look after the people when they come out, no matter how they behaved… At the same time, as a presenter you owe it to the general public to ask the questions about their behaviour’

She attempted to ‘blame the edit’ for her unfair portrayal on the show but Layton, also 29, was having none of it and told her she was dragging out the explosive argument with Marisha Wallace during Thursday’s episode. 

While some branded the former Strictly star a ‘bully’ and said that he did to Ekin-Su what others did to him during his time on the dancing show, others disagreed and dubbed him the ‘voice of the people’.

She broke down in hysterical tears after Marisha picked her in the face-face nominations before storming off to her bed as the musical star, 38, followed to apologise. 

Speaking about the dramatic performance, which saw Ekin-Su branding the theatre star as ‘fake’, Layton shot back at the reality star as he revealed his full support for Marisha in the confrontation. 

Ekin exclaimed: ‘When Marisha nominated me that actually showed me her true colours, that she had been thinking about winning the game the whole time.’

Host AJ Odudu attempted to reason with the star as she suggested: ‘Well what we have got to remember, you know she’s American it’s strategy, game playing.’

But Layton was quick to intervene as he explained: ‘Marisha had to pick someone basically and she did pick you, just like you picked Louis. 

‘Louis squashed it you know and kind of kept it moving and unfortunately you dragged it on and I kind of did feel for Marisha in that moment. 

On Friday’s episode Ekin-Su broke down in hysterical tears after Marisha picked her in the face-face nominations before storming off to her bed as the musical star, 38, followed to apologise

Ekin-Su’s withdrawal comes after her Late And Live descended into chaos on Friday as she clashed with Layton Williams after her eviction from the house 

She attempted to ‘blame the edit’ for her unfair portrayal on the show but Layton, also 29, was having none of it and told her she was dragging out the explosive argument with Marisha Wallace during Thursday’s episode 

‘I was like, you know what this is her big day, she had just been told she had been nominated for an Olivier Award and to see her crying in the Big Brother…’ as Ekin-Su interrupted: ‘You haven’t seen everything they have cut stuff out but ok.’

Yet Layton was having none of it, as he hit back: ‘Don’t blame it on the edit, one thing we are not going to do is blame it on the edit. 

‘We’re not blaming it on the edit girl. We see what we see and it was just a shame, it was a big shame.’ 

As host Will Best opened it up to the audience to try and garner some support for Ekin-Su, he struggled to find an audience member that was on her side. 

CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2024: MEET THE LINEUP

SHARON OSBOURNE

AGE: 71

FAMOUS FOR: Being a member of the Osbourne family, married to rock legend husband Ozzy as well as being a judge on The X Factor.

GARY GOLDSMITH

AGE: 58

FAMOUS FOR: Being Kate Middleton’s ‘black sheep’ uncle.

EKIN-SU CULCULOGLU

AGE: 29

FAMOUS FOR: Winning Love Island in 2022 

COLSON SMITH

AGE: 25

FAMOUS FOR: Playing Craig Tinker in Coronation Street

FERN BRITTON

AGE: 66

FAMOUS FOR: Nineties TV sensation, and acting as Phillip Schofield’s This Morning sidekick.

BRADLEY RICHES

AGE: 22

FAMOUS FOR: Starring in Netflix’s Heartstopper

MARISHA WALLACE

AGE: 38

FAMOUS FOR: Broadway actress and singer, with roles in Dreamgirls and Aladdin

LOUIS WALSH

AGE: 71

FAMOUS FOR: His stint as an X Factor judge following a prestigious career as a music manager to bands like Westlife and Boyzone.

DAVID POTTS

AGE: 30

FAMOUS FOR: Ibiza Weekender 

ZEZE MILLZ 

AGE: 35

FAMOUS FOR: Social media star 

LAUREN SIMON

AGE: 47

FAMOUS FOR: The Real Housewives of Cheshire 

LEVI ROOTS

AGE: 65

FAMOUS FOR: One of Dragons’s Den’s biggest success stories.

NIKITA KUZMIN

AGE: 26

FAMOUS FOR: Being a professional on Strictly Come Dancing