Ekin-Su says Celebrity Big Brother made her realise she had ‘lost herself’

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Reality TV star Ekin-Su has admitted Celebrity Big Brother was the lightbulb moment that made her realise she had “lost” herself.

The 29-year-old won the ITV dating show Love Island in 2022 with her then-boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti and went on to appear in a long list of reality programmes including Dancing on Ice, The Traitors US and most recently, the rebooted CBB.

However, Ekin-Su has admitted that her time on the show made her realise she had lost herself and no longer knew who she was outside of TV shows and her relationships.

She and Sanclimenti had split in January, just months before she entered the Big Brother house. When Ekin-Su was the sixth contestant to be evicted from the show, she took a break from social media and skipped the live final.

In a new post shared to Instagram, she wrote: “Haven’t felt myself for a long time, and I’ve realised I had kind of lost myself and for a while didn’t know who I was beyond being defined by ex-relationships or TV shows, and that needs to change!”

She added that CBB was the “final lightbulb moment” that made her realise its time to focus on her own “growth and healing”.

“Embracing the fresh start to a new month and new era…. Wishing everyone an April full of possibilities,” she wrote, before thanking fans for their support.

“I am so grateful for each one of you.”

Addressing her absence from the live final last week, the Turkish soap actor and reality star explained her absence as avoiding a “potentially uncomfortable situation” and setting a personal boundary.

“I know it’s unlike me to hide away, but I’ve been taking some time to reflect,” she began her message. “Sometimes in our lowest moments, we learn the most important lessons about ourselves.

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“I hope you don’t think I was selfish for setting boundaries and putting my own needs first last night. I’m fully aware that not everybody will understand my absence, or think it was the right decision to make, BUT it was the right decision for me.”

She continued: “I chose to remove myself from a potentially uncomfortable situation that I preferred to avoid. I’m proud of myself for recognising what I need during this time, despite the hate that might come my way.

“Accountability is key and when I’m ready, I will give some context around these past few weeks.”

Ekin-Su rounded off her post by thanking “everybody who has sent kindness my way” and teasing that “new chapter starts now”.

When the reality star left CBB and appeared on the after-hours Late & Live talk show, she was grilled about her time in the house by presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best, and clashed with Bad Education and Strictly star Layton Williams.

She was also questioned about her treatment of West End star Marisha Wallace by Williams, who told her not to “blame the edit” she received before getting a chance to see it herself.

In a message of support for Ekin-Su last week, The Real Housewives of Cheshire cast member and fellow CBB evictee Lauren Simon described her experience of being on Late & Live as “torturous”.