Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu has opened up about her hellish stalker ordeal and how ‘traumatised’ she was when a man threatened to leak her intimate pictures. The 2022 Love Island winner, 29, has made a gradual return to the spotlight in recent months after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother divided viewers. In her comeback interview, the reality star spoke bravely about the time her phone went missing while she was on a Tinder date, with the man later turning up at her home with a brand new mobile for her.
The Turkish actress admitted that this ‘should have been a red flag’ given that the phone wasn’t in its box, but she was convinced he was simply ‘spoiling’ her. Speaking to The Sun’s Fabulous magazine , she explained that she started using the phone and remained in contact with the man after their date. After two months, however, she claims to have received a ‘really weird’ email to her work address.
‘I was working an admin job at a finance company at the time. It said, “I know everything about you”,’ said Ekin-Su. She then allegedly received an intimate photo of herself.
‘I thought it must be spam but they attached a picture of me wearing lingerie that I had sent to my ex. ‘I tried to ignore it but the emails kept coming and one said, “If you don’t reply, I’m going to email this friend with a private chat you had about them behind their back”.’ The anonymous contact then claimed to know specific details about Ekin-Su, such as where she bought lunch, proceeding to threaten her with leaking her NSFW pictures.
‘It was basically revenge porn, but the police couldn’t do anything,’ said Ekin-Su, after her ex-boyfriend was the one who suggested they report the incident. The police reportedly asked Ekin-Su if she had ‘met anyone knew’ recently who had ‘given [her] gifts’. At this moment, she ‘felt so silly’.
On what the outcome was, Ekin-Su said the IP (device address) of the sender wasn’t trackable, forcing her to delete the contents of her phone, iCloud, and email inbox. This didn’t mark the end of her ordeal, though. When she applied for Love Island, bosses had to ask her if ‘anything could come up’, with Ekin-Su – who went on to win the show – fearful the snaps might surface, but they did not.
To this day, she still worries that ‘stuff might come out’. ‘I was really traumatised. Now I look for signs and I cut people out early.
I need to protect myself,’ she declared. Following her split from fellow Love Islander Davide Sanclimenti , Ekin-Su confirmed that she is happily single at the moment. She’s not shutting herself off from the possibility of romance completely, though, having confessed to joining celebrity dating app Raya.
Following her fateful CBB stint earlier this year, which saw Ekin-Su rub some viewers up the wrong way with her comments, particularly after befriending Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, the influencer is changing career paths. Stating that she’s ‘taking back ownership’, she recently told Metro.co.
uk of her major TV plans in America . Following a hugely successful appearance on The Traitors US , Ekin-Su attended the Tony Awards and is set to walk the carpet at the Emmys after her series received a nomination. ‘Life is good, and I feel so grateful for these amazing opportunities,’ she told us.
The newly-crowned 'best' commuter spot is a city I'll never go back to We bought a mouldy narrowboat on Facebook Marketplace — it saves us £10,000 a year in rent What I Own: We renovated our £590,000 Tooting three-bed but it's getting too small for us Cheapest UK city for first-time buyers revealed — but it's ‘bleak’ for some This Dorset beach hut is only 6ft wide and has no toilet — but will set you back £110,000 ‘The US has welcomed me with open arms, and I have felt so supported by the UK who are championing me to fly the flag across the pond. It’s been a whirlwind six months, but I’m solely focused on my career right now, and taking back ownership of who I am.’ Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.
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