‘He’s a single man he needs to get out there,’ the Love Island winner said (Picture: Instagram/@ekinsuofficial)
It looks like a desire to find romance on Love Island could run in Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu family’s blood, as she revealed her dad has actually applied for the middle-aged spin-off.
Last summer, Ekin-Su and her boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti won the ITV2 competition, bagging a hefty £50,000 and going from strength to strength in their relationship in the months since.
While the Dancing On Ice star is all loved up with her Italian beau, her dad Zekai Cülcüloğlu is apparently on the search for love, and has even signed up for the recently-announced The Romance Retreat.
In January, it was revealed that after much speculation, a dating reality show geared towards single parents was officially in the works.
The casting call read: ‘ITV1 are looking for vibrant single parents from across the UK who are in search of love, for a brand new dating show!
‘This is the ONLY dating show where single parents can search for love, by spending time in a luxury retreat, where all the parents have been nominated by their grown up children.’
Love Island is back for 2023
Kiss goodbye to your social life as Love Island is back for its Winter 2023 series.
All the couples from Winter Love Island 2023 – from day one to now
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In a new interview with Reddit, Ekin-Su, 28, admitted that her dad has ‘applied already’.
Given her experience in the villa, she added: ‘I’m preparing him, he’s a single man he needs to get out there, you know.’
Referencing her own romance with Davide, she speculated that perhaps her dad ‘might find an Italian woman’.
When asked what advice she’d given him, she recalled: ‘My advice was be yourself, don’t burp, put some perfume on.’
Ekin-Su isn’t the only former islander who’s put her parent forward for The Romance Retreat, with Tasha Ghouri also urging her own dad to submit an application.
‘Dad this is your moment to shine… The entertainment joker king x,’ she previously tweeted.
Ekin-Su and Davide had an up-and-down journey on Love Island before soaring to victory (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
Ekin-Su is currently competing on Dancing On Ice, where she’s partnered with professional skater Brendyn Hatfield.
Following her Toxic-inspired performance on the rink, 112 people complained to Ofcom over the sparkly leotard that she wore for the routine.
Hitting back at the complaints, she told The Sun: ‘You know what? If you have ’em flaunt them.
‘I mean if you’ve got a nice bum and you look sexy in a unitard, why not. Who cares?’
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
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‘He’s a single man he needs to get out there,’ the Love Island winner said.
