The showbiz world was left in shock this week when it was claimed Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Georges Berthonneau are secretly dating.
In a shock reality show crossover, Love Island winner Ekin-Su, 30, was spotted at the gym with Married At First Sight UK star Georges, 31, with sources claiming the pair have been together for months.
Georges has since claimed that he is ‘happily dating someone not in the public eye’, while Ekin-Su has yet to comment on the rumours.
Now Georges’ ex ‘wife’ Peggy Rose has exclusively told MailOnline her verdict on the stories surrounding Georges and Ekin’s romance, musing: ‘Probably to stay in the limelight.’
Peggy, 32, holds no ill-will towards Georges – who starred with her on MAFS UK – but claimed she couldn’t trust him with information about herself or her family because it would somehow find its way into the public eye.
MAFS UK star Peggy Rose issued a blistering six-word verdict on ex Georges Berthonneau after he was linked to Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and detailed a’new romance’
In a shock reality show crossover, Love Island winner Ekin-Su, 30, was spotted at the gym with MAFS UK star Georges, 31, with sources claiming the pair have been dating for months
Peggy confessed: ‘When I first heard about it I thought it’s funny because it didn’t surprise me.
‘I was shocked but not surprised if that makes sense. I thought, times must be hard, he’s trying to stay relevant, make a bit of money.
‘But all in all if he’s found something that makes him happy, good for him.
‘I know Ekin has claimed that [her ex-boyfriend] Davide Sanclimenti cheated on her, and that’s why they broke up. So I just hope that it doesn’t happen again.
‘I hope she’s treated a lot better than the way Georges treated me… I think Georges is probably the worst person she could trust.’
Peggy has claimed that she ended things with Georges because she believed he was cheating on her, an accusation he denied.
MailOnline has contacted Georges’ representatives for comment.
Ekin and Georges were said to be dating when the pair were spotted leaving the gym together.
Peggy holds no ill-will towards Georges but claimed she couldn’t trust him with information about herself or her family because it would somehow find its way into the public eye
Peggy said: ‘I know Ekin has claimed that [her ex-boyfriend] cheated on her, and that’s why they broke up. So I just hope that it doesn’t happen again’
A source told MailOnline: ‘Ekin and Georges have been trying to keep their relationship under wraps for some time.
‘Ekin’s team were adamant that they didn’t want this to come out, but Georges has been a little loose lipped, and their hooks up have been whispered about for months.
‘Georges had grown tired of being Ekin’s dirty little secret, and he started to tell friends that he wanted more commitment going forward.
‘He’s not stopped grinning ear to ear since they have been dating, he’s like the cat that got the cream, and has been gushing to mates about how loved up he is.
‘Ekin’s team are scrambling to keep it under wraps for fear that it will impact her chances of Love Island: All Stars, of which she is top of the list, but it seems neither of them could keep away from each other.’
Georges’ representative later told The Mirror: ‘I was surprised by the article myself as Georges is happily dating someone not in the public eye. He and Ekin are just friends who happened to go to the same gym that day.’
Ekin-Su has yet to comment on the romance rumours.
While Georges split from Peggy was acrimonious, she revealed she doesn’t hold a grudge, as she shared: ‘I don’t wish anyone bad luck in life or in love. I want everyone to find happiness and love.’
Similarly, she has no regrets about her time on Married At First Sight UK.
‘It was the best thing I’ve ever done,’ Peggy shared. ‘If anybody is looking for love I would recommend going on the programme. You might be pleasantly surprised.
‘Some couples do work out. I know it’s very rare, but I mean, me and Georges were with with each other for nearly a year, which is quite a long relationship nowadays. Especially when you’ve had four months of living together so it’s been quite intense.’
Peggy added that she’s still an avid watcher of the show and continues to take away lessons from the show’s relationship coaches.
She has kept in touch with Paul C Brunson, Mel Schilling and Charlene Douglas and revealed Charlene helped her and Georges work through problems even after they left the show.
Peggy is now in a new romance but revealed she’s keeping his identity under wraps until they are officially boyfriend and girlfriend
Peggy is now in a new romance but revealed she’s keeping his identity under wraps until they are official.
‘I’ve been cheated on in the past and I find it hard to trust people’, she explained. ‘You know, boys will be boys, so I want to be boyfriend and girlfriend with this person before I go public.
‘I’m not going to say, “I’m seeing this person”, then it not work out. My nieces would have to see that. That’s why I didn’t have them at the wedding either, because I didn’t want them to see me get married in case it didn’t work out.’
She added of her mystery new man: ‘He’s not in the public eye, which I love, so I don’t really know how he’ll react if he becomes known, I don’t want to change him.
‘I’m liking the person who I know now. We’re happy and I just hope it continues that way.’