IT was all going so well for Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu – her career skyrocketed after winning Love Island in 2022, and this year looked like she was about to do the impossible for a reality star – crack America.
But we can reveal her American dream is well and truly over after the 31-year-old has been dropped by her talent agency, just six months after signing with them. And The Jattvibe can reveal where it all went wrong.
Ekin-Su has now been dropped by her agency after a tough start to the year in America Credit: Getty
Ekin has gained a reputation after a series of TV disasters Credit: ITV
With a string of controversial TV appearances behind her and accusations of being a ‘mean girl’, Ekin has returned to the UK with his tail between her legs and is facing some big decisions about her future.
Our insider said: “Everyone was very excited when Ekin signed with global talent agency WME.
“It was clear she had star power from the moment she appeared on Love Island, but things haven’t gone according to plan, and as she struggled to take on more work, the decision was made to drop her.
“Ekin is not happy because she thinks she should be a big star – and should be getting more work than Maura Higgins.”
WME represents some of the world’s biggest stars, including Angelina Jolie, Drake and Serena Williams. It was a huge deal that Ekin was included in those circles.
At the start of the year, she landed two huge shows, Vanderpump Villa and Unwell: Winter Games in America, but within days of them both airing in April, it became clear that Ekin’s pulling power was starting to wane.
It should have been an opportunity for her to grow her global fanbase, capitalising on her US Traitors stint back in 2024 as well as Netflix’s Inside last year, but it backfired sorely – with fans branding her ‘mean’ and ‘vile’ after witnessing her antics on both new shows.
“I just watched [Vanderpump Villa] and I physically recoiled… who does she think she is?!” one fan ranted on Reddit, while another called her “insufferable” and “beyond cruel”.
The backlash was so great that it severely sabotaged her future career prospects in America.
Another insider explained: “Brands don’t want to be aligned with mean girls. It’s one thing being feisty and sassy, which Ekin always has been, and that’s what people liked about her, but when you take it too far, it goes into bullying territory, and no company wants to look like it platforms or excuses that kind of behaviour.
“Ekin clearly felt like she needed to make good TV and is claiming she was being a villain for the cameras, but there will be people who think she let the mask slip and might have been showing her true colours.
“There is a very fine line between being good TV and being cancelled, and she’s at risk of the latter.”
We’re told the rejection has been particularly hard to deal with, considering Maura, who also appeared on Love Island, has become America’s sweetheart this year and has well and truly eclipsed her stateside.
Ekin’s career trajectory has been rocky to say the least – she was famous in Turkey as a soap actress and aspiring singer before she appeared on Love Island.
But overnight, she became a household name thanks to her fiery relationship in the villa with Davide Sanclimenti.
They ended up winning the show, and it was clear from the very beginning that she had high expectations and ‘diva’-like requests.
Indeed, when she left the villa, Ekin and her then partner Davide demanded £30k for an interview with The Jattvibe.
On the day of the interview – with the hotel suite, photographer, hair and makeup all booked – they didn’t get out of bed, and we were unable to get hold of them. They ended up with no big money deal in the end.
Ekin was last dating Curtis after meeting on All Stars Credit: Rex
Ekin is now dating Christopher East, but is keeping the relationship under wraps Credit: Getty
Just two months after splitting from Davide, in March 2024, Ekin entered the Big Brother house.
It was an ill-advised move and the start of the tide turning against her as she went from hero to villain rapidly – thanks to misogynistic remarks about women doing OnlyFans and calculated moves against fan favourites like Louis Walsh.
She became angry and defensive if anyone dared mention her Love Island roots but later blamed it all on a ‘bad edit’.
Struggling with the reaction, Ekin pulled out of any upcoming TV shows and withdrew from public life for some time.
She remerged at the start of 2025 when she made a surprise appearance on Love Island: All Stars – despite protesting so much about being linked to the dating show.
No one was more surprised than Married At First Sight star Georges Berthonneau, who claimed they had been secretly dating and he had begged her not to do the show.
He claimed she had “cheated on him on live TV” after hooking up with Curtis Pritchard, who she ended up coming third with.
It could have been enough to end her career then and there, but it only piqued interest in Ekin and her fascinating life.
Ekin won Love Island with Davide in 2022 Credit: Rex
She had been keen to make it in America, as Maura Higgins has Credit: Getty
Our insider said: “Ekin has always wanted bigger and better and was really pushing for US stardom after her latest Love Island stint.
“She pushed the ballsy Ekin character too far, though, and the Americans revolted.
“She now has some very big decisions to make about what is next. She is planning to do things differently now, and even keeping her boyfriend secret shows how serious she is about starting afresh.”
Ekin has been dating hunky dog food entrepreneur Christopher East for nine months, after insisting that she was done with famous men and was looking for “someone normal”.
She might be dating a ‘normal man’, but if there is one thing we have learned about Ekin, there’s nothing ‘normal’ about her – and we imagine her next move will be anything but that.
