EXCLUSIVE: Love Island legend Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has opened up about her love life admitting that she’s dating again following her split from Curtis Pritchard
Ekin-Su addresses single life after Curtis Pritchard split with savage dig(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has revealed that she’s still on the hunt for her dream man after recently splitting from Love Island All Stars boyfriend, Curtis Pritchard.
The 31-year-old Love Island icon, who won the show in 2022 alongside her ex-boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, opened up about her dating life when she spoke to The Mirror on the red carpet at the annual National Television Awards.
Model Ekin-Su, who also made waves across the pond in the US after starring on The Traitors USA, addressed her split with professional dancer Curtis, 29. The pair called it quits in May despite falling head over heels in love on Love Island All Stars in January.
Despite admitting that she ‘still loves’ Curtis, Ekin-Su told us that she’s now on the hunt for a ‘real man’ as she’s not ready to give up on finding The One just yet.
READ MORE: Ekin-Su shares Wagatha Christie-style test she uses on potential loversREAD MORE: Ekin-Su overheard ‘plotting secret date’ with another Love Island legend at NTA party
Ekin-Su opened up about her single life at the NTA’s(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Ekin-Su and Curtis split up in May(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
When asked if she would appear on Love Island All Stars again, Ekin-Su shut down the rumours as she insisted: “It’s time I moved away from that and found a real man now. It’s time I got married.”
Ekin-Su went on to admit that she’s happily dating and is still on the search for her perfect match before addressing her split with Curtis and confessing that the pair are still very good friends.
“We are [friends]. We are. We still speak all the time, and I’ve got nothing but lovely words to say about him.”
Ekin-Su previously dated fellow Love Island star Davide Sanclimenti after the pair met on the 2022 series but the pair split months after leaving the villa amid accusations of cheating.
Ekin and Cutis fell head over heels for one another on Love Island All Stars
The former Celebrity Big Brother star’s dating confession comes after it was announced today that she will appear in a new Netflix reality series. The reality TV favourite has been announced as one of the housemates for Inside: USA, which will be coming to the streaming giant on September 21.
The show, which is created by the UK YouTube group Sideme,n has already had two successful seasons in the UK. She will be living alongside a number of US celebrities and content creators, including Selling Sunset’s Breana “Bre” Tiesi.
Ekin, who has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and the US version of The Traitors, teased another new project this week.
She said: “I’ve been busy working my a*s off. I just came back from Venice, now I’m flying to America.
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“I’m burnt out, but life is about working hard. You’ve got to grab it with both hands. Something’s coming up in a few months. It’s not a reality show, it’s a different project.”
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A day prior to the marquee India-Pakistan cricket clash at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, it’s a tale of two teams positioned on opposite ends of the pre-match hype metre as political frenzy envelops the fixture.
As a result of the hoopla, the game of cricket has been reduced to a supporting act.
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India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate faced the heat as his side’s designated news conference representative on Saturday.
The former Netherlands international cricketer was sent to tackle a barrage of questions on the tense atmosphere in the wake of the four-day conflict in May, when the South Asian archrivals came close to an all-out war.
Unlike the pre-tournament news conference, where media persons were discouraged from asking political questions, Saturday’s event was heavier on politics and lighter on cricket.
Doeschate, who has been part of the Indian coaching set-up for over a year, was asked to talk about the players’ mindset in the lead-up to the match and whether the simmering sentiments back home will affect them.
“It will play on the minds of the players, who share the compassion of the Indian public,” Doeschate said.
However, the coach urged them to “put the sentiments and emotions behind” when they step on the field.
“It’s something we have addressed in the dressing room in team meetings. We are aware of the feelings [of Indian fans], but the guys have to play for their country, so they will be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”
While the conversation occasionally turned to India’s team combination for the match and tackling a new-look Pakistani T20 side, some sections of the media kept steering it back to themes such as “using the sports field as an avenue for protest [against the opponent]” and, cynically, protecting the players from the outside noise.
However, ten Doeschate was careful in his handling of questions on the delicate theme and did not attempt to shut down the constant probing.
He revealed India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the dressing room in the lead-up to the Pakistan match.
“It’s been about being professional, not worrying about things not in our control and trying to be emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things.”
The 45-year-old former allrounder wrapped up by saying the way the Indian team plays on Sunday will “represent how the players feel about the country.”
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir at a practice session [File: Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
‘Just another cricket match’
Meanwhile, Pakistan took the opposite approach to the media scrutiny by sending Saim Ayub, a very nonchalant young member of the squad, to deal with the barrage of critical and deceptively political questions.
The allrounder flat-batted the inquest into Pakistan’s inability to beat India in recent games by repeating the “past is past” mantra that every athlete knows so well.
Pakistan’s last win over India, in all formats and competitions, came in October 2021, when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided them home by 10 wickets.
The 23-year-old has never played a match against India, and when he was asked to recount his experience of being on the reserves’ bench during the India-Pakistan game at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, he simply blamed amnesia for his inability to recall his feelings from last June.
“I could have answered your question better had you asked last year,” he quipped.
Ayub, whose main role in the team is to open the batting, has seen a dip in his run-scoring form since his return from injury this year.
In his 15 T20I innings since May, Ayub has scored 40 or more runs on four occasions, only one of which came during the recent tri-nation T20 series in the UAE.
The left-handed batter dealt with the criticism of his performance with a smirk and said, “The same player can’t be expected to win the match every time.”
“The team is made up of 11 players, and we try that every player stands up on a different day. We can only try to give our best effort and hope that the result goes our way.”
When it was his turn to face questions on the hyped up match and how it could lead to on-field nerves, Ayub was happy to term it “just another cricket match”.
“It can be a big fixture for some people, but for us, it’s just another match where we must improve our performance.”
A changed-up Pakistan team led by a new captain and coach will look to change the recent trend in results against India, while their opponents will aim to not only win the contest on the pitch, but also placate a charged-up fanbase back home.
Pakistan will rely on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s experience against India on Sunday [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
Pathum Nissanka became the quickest Sri Lankan batter to reach 2,000 T20 runs as the opener sprinted his team to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in a crucial Asia Cup match on Saturday.
Nissanka perfectly manipulated the line and lengths of the Bangladeshi bowlers to score 50 off 34 balls, and Sri Lanka breezed to 140-4 in a strong start to its campaign.
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Bangladesh, which handed Hong Kong a seven-wicket drubbing in its first Group B game, recovered from a horror start to score 139-5 after it lost both openers to fast bowler Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera’s successive wicket maidens with the new ball.
Nissanka batted fluently and scored six fours and a six as he reached the 2,000-run landmark in his 68th T20 innings when he completed his half-century. Kusal Perera had the previous Sri Lanka record, achieving the feat in 76 innings.
Nissanka fell soon after his entertaining 95-run stand with Kamil Mishara (46 not out) had all but sealed the game, when Shoriful Islam held on to a spectacular two-handed catch at deep backward square leg.
Bangladesh had to pay a heavy price for dropping Mishra on 1 when Mahedi Hassan could not hold on to a two-handed catch close to the 30-metre circle at wide mid-on. Although Perera and Dasun Shanaka also perished quickly while going for big shots, Mishara’s unbeaten knock of 32 balls ensured Sri Lanka finished off the game with more than five overs to spare.
Earlier, after being put into bat, Shamim Hossain (42) and Jaker Ali (41) helped Bangladesh recover from a disastrous start in the second half of their innings when they combined in an 86-run unbroken stand off 61 balls.
Wanindu Hasaranga made an impactful return to international cricket with figures of 2-25 after missing the last series against Zimbabwe due to a hamstring injury. The leg spinner should have had the wicket of Jaker in his eventful second over, only to see his sharp googly grazing the off stump after going through the defences of the batter, but both bails stayed on the stumps.
Hasaranga’s sharp spinning deliveries and the twin strikes of Thushara and Chameera saw Bangladesh slump to 53-5 in the 10th over when captain Litton Das (28) was out leg before wicket while attempting a reverse sweep against Hasaranga.
That was the answer Rangers head coach Russell Martin gave when asked if he was certain his board would continue to support him given what was unfolding at Ibrox.
It was far from convincing – and in stark contrast to his previous statements where certainty oozed out during what has now descended into a critical mess for the club.
“Will you resign?” he was asked in his press conference, to which he responded with a firm “no,” after a fan media representative explained an overwhelming amount of the Rangers support want him to leave.
That exchange edged on hostile to say the least.
This all came after enduring the quite venomous wrath of a majority of fans, with the 2-0 defeat at home by Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts leaving Martin’s side 10th out of the 12 teams after five winless games.
It’s unthinkable for Rangers and a support given renewed, and long-awaited, hope of challenging Celtic earlier this year after a US-led consortium took control.
Four draws and now this defeat is beyond a crisis given the demands of being in charge of the club. It’s been 47 years since they failed to win any of their opening five league fixtures.
You then chuck in a humiliating exit in the Champions League play-off to Club Brugge.
Ibrox turns toxic after another nightmare unfolds
It was clear at Ibrox that if things didn’t go Rangers’ way, there was a strong chance the support would be quick to turn, with Martin the focus of their ire.
It unfolded exactly like that. Boos were deafening at times and “sacked in the morning” was sung by some home supporters.
Many simply left, it was all too much to bear.
The build-up had been dominated by his decision to continue to omit Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin despite claiming an issue with the player had been “resolved”.
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“Only results will convince them,” Martin told BBC Scotland afterwards.
“My job is to convince the players and the staff inside the building after a difficult afternoon and give them enough support and detail to improve.
“It is not going to be an easy journey for me to win favour. It hasn’t been from day one with a lot of people, but we’ll keep working and make sure it does.
“Professionally, it hurts a bit because nobody sees how hard you work.
“No-one sees the stuff you have to deal with, but it is what it is and is the job of a football manager.”
Victorious Hearts manager Derek McInnes felt compelled to explain how unfair he felt Martin’s treatment had been during the match.
That perhaps shines a light on how toxic this became.
Former Rangers winger Neil McCann was part of Barry Ferguson’s interim coaching team last season, and has doubts whether Martin can survive this latest setback.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I really felt for him and he looked really uncomfortable at the end of the game.
“I know he’s not one for walking away but when the fans show their disdain and their displeasure like that then it’s really difficult to come through it.
Case for the defence?
Martin has only been in charge for just over three months. It is so early in his tenure and the level of change Rangers required was, and has been, drastic.
Most observers would recognise that might take time to embed, but time is one thing you don’t get at Rangers. Not anymore, at least, after sustained underachievement.
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Martin spoke of “difficulty managing expectation” and players “feeling the weight of it” as they try to establish themselves.
He insisted the pace of change, with a substantial squad overhaul, was required as they were “not coming into a place that is winning a lot”, referencing a lack of trophies.
There does look the basis of a strong squad, but it already seems a long road back for Martin given the level of anger he endured against Hearts and in his post-match exchange.
When you lose the fans, the outcome often becomes inevitable.
“The Rangers fans have had enough,” said Billy Dodds, who was also an assistant to Ferguson last season.
“They needed to get results to dampen it all today and they’ve not done that.
Fan view: ‘Martin could get Rangers relegated’
We asked for Rangers fans to share their thoughts after another dismal outing:
Here’s a selction of their views:
Paul: This game may well be Russell Martin’s last. This cannot go on any more, if there are Rangers fans still in the stands by the end of this debacle I will be surprised. The fans will vote with their feet in their droves. Martin isn’t cut out for this, we need someone who knows what they’re doing and we need it now!
Brian: Russell Martin could get us relegated. He’s the only person on Earth who thinks this is acceptable.
Brian: Martin is deluded, heard him say before the game, “we are in a good place at the moment”. What? After a draw at home with an awful Celtic team? Sack him, he is an embarrassment!
Lee: Martin surely has to go. If you don’t have the players to play the way you want you have to adapt. He isn’t being a manager he’s being a dictator. You can’t force players to play in a way that they clearly can’t.
Alex: How many chances does Russell Martin need to get? It is clearly obvious he is out of his depth and cannot manage. It was doubtful before he got the position and now it is firmly confirmed that he is the wrong person for the job.
Jackie: I think Martin needs to be given more time. Can’t just keep changing manager after a run of bad results. At some point we have to stick to someone and see it through to the bitter end.
Baz: I said it after the first game of the season how worried I was about Russell Martin’s appointment and how long a season it’s going to be. Sadly, I’ve been proven correct and if he isn’t sacked tonight or tomorrow, the crowds will start dropping and the players confidence will get even lower if that’s possible.
That was the answer Rangers head coach Russell Martin gave when asked if he was certain his board would continue to support him given what was unfolding at Ibrox.
It was far from convincing – and in stark contrast to his previous statements where certainty oozed out during what has now descended into a critical mess for the club.
“Will you resign?” he was asked in his press conference, to which he responded with a firm “no,” after a fan media representative explained an overwhelming amount of the Rangers support want him to leave.
That exchange edged on hostile to say the least.
This all came after enduring the quite venomous wrath of a majority of fans, with the 2-0 defeat at home by Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts leaving Martin’s side 10th out of the 12 teams after five winless games.
It’s unthinkable for Rangers and a support given renewed, and long-awaited, hope of challenging Celtic earlier this year after a US-led consortium took control.
Four draws and now this defeat is beyond a crisis given the demands of being in charge of the club. It’s been 47 years since they failed to win any of their opening five league fixtures.
You then chuck in a humiliating exit in the Champions League play-off to Club Brugge.
Ibrox turns toxic after another nightmare unfolds
It was clear at Ibrox that if things didn’t go Rangers’ way, there was a strong chance the support would be quick to turn, with Martin the focus of their ire.
It unfolded exactly like that. Boos were deafening at times and “sacked in the morning” was sung by some home supporters.
Many simply left, it was all too much to bear.
The build-up had been dominated by his decision to continue to omit Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin despite claiming an issue with the player had been “resolved”.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
“Only results will convince them,” Martin told BBC Scotland afterwards.
“My job is to convince the players and the staff inside the building after a difficult afternoon and give them enough support and detail to improve.
“It is not going to be an easy journey for me to win favour. It hasn’t been from day one with a lot of people, but we’ll keep working and make sure it does.
“Professionally, it hurts a bit because nobody sees how hard you work.
“No-one sees the stuff you have to deal with, but it is what it is and is the job of a football manager.”
Victorious Hearts manager Derek McInnes felt compelled to explain how unfair he felt Martin’s treatment had been during the match.
That perhaps shines a light on how toxic this became.
Former Rangers winger Neil McCann was part of Barry Ferguson’s interim coaching team last season, and has doubts whether Martin can survive this latest setback.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I really felt for him and he looked really uncomfortable at the end of the game.
“I know he’s not one for walking away but when the fans show their disdain and their displeasure like that then it’s really difficult to come through it.
Case for the defence?
Martin has only been in charge for just over three months. It is so early in his tenure and the level of change Rangers required was, and has been, drastic.
Most observers would recognise that might take time to embed, but time is one thing you don’t get at Rangers. Not anymore, at least, after sustained underachievement.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Martin spoke of “difficulty managing expectation” and players “feeling the weight of it” as they try to establish themselves.
He insisted the pace of change, with a substantial squad overhaul, was required as they were “not coming into a place that is winning a lot”, referencing a lack of trophies.
There does look the basis of a strong squad, but it already seems a long road back for Martin given the level of anger he endured against Hearts and in his post-match exchange.
When you lose the fans, the outcome often becomes inevitable.
“The Rangers fans have had enough,” said Billy Dodds, who was also an assistant to Ferguson last season.
“They needed to get results to dampen it all today and they’ve not done that.
Fan view: ‘Martin could get Rangers relegated’
We asked for Rangers fans to share their thoughts after another dismal outing:
Here’s a selction of their views:
Paul: This game may well be Russell Martin’s last. This cannot go on any more, if there are Rangers fans still in the stands by the end of this debacle I will be surprised. The fans will vote with their feet in their droves. Martin isn’t cut out for this, we need someone who knows what they’re doing and we need it now!
Brian: Russell Martin could get us relegated. He’s the only person on Earth who thinks this is acceptable.
Brian: Martin is deluded, heard him say before the game, “we are in a good place at the moment”. What? After a draw at home with an awful Celtic team? Sack him, he is an embarrassment!
Lee: Martin surely has to go. If you don’t have the players to play the way you want you have to adapt. He isn’t being a manager he’s being a dictator. You can’t force players to play in a way that they clearly can’t.
Alex: How many chances does Russell Martin need to get? It is clearly obvious he is out of his depth and cannot manage. It was doubtful before he got the position and now it is firmly confirmed that he is the wrong person for the job.
Jackie: I think Martin needs to be given more time. Can’t just keep changing manager after a run of bad results. At some point we have to stick to someone and see it through to the bitter end.
Baz: I said it after the first game of the season how worried I was about Russell Martin’s appointment and how long a season it’s going to be. Sadly, I’ve been proven correct and if he isn’t sacked tonight or tomorrow, the crowds will start dropping and the players confidence will get even lower if that’s possible.
