The thrills are alive as Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu ditches her prim Sound of Music image and prepares to get sexy again, declaring: “I’m going to shine and I’m going to be me.”
The Dancing On Ice star notched an impressive 33.5 points last week by performing as the classic musical’s wholesome Maria von Trapp.
But it came a fortnight after Love Island winner Ekin-Su turned the heat up by skating her opening routine to the Britney Spears song Toxic.
Her sequinned catsuit and raunchy dance – including a crawl across the ice – sparked protest and TV regulator Ofcom got more than 100 complaints.
The backlash left Ekin-Su, 28, in tears and knocked her confidence, especially as she narrowly avoided becoming the first celebrity skater booted off the ITV contest.
But she now has a defiant message for her critics as she gets ready to sizzle on the rink again tonight.
She told the Sunday People : “I’m not going to just back off any more, I’m going to be confident again.
“I’m going to fight. I’m here, I’m ready. I’m going to shine and I’m going to be me again.”
The actress, who won last year’s Love Island with partner Davide Sanclimenti, stunned viewers in a sparkling skin-tone catsuit that made it look like she was in a bikini. Host Holly Willoughby called her racy routine the contest’s “sexiest dance ever”.
But online critics said her outfit was too sexy for a family show – and the wave of negativity caught Ekin-Su off-guard, causing tears.
She said: “I was very upset. Instead of people backing me up and saying, ‘Look, she’s doing her best. Look at her, look at her confidence’, I had negative feedback. I was crying a lot. I went home, I cried in Davide’s arms. I looked in the mirror and I went, ‘What is wrong with me? What have I done wrong? Why are people being like this?’
“It’s something new for me. In Love Island, people criticised me at the start but we had no phones. I had no idea what was happening outside. Now, I can actually read it. I see it, it’s in my face. Someone sends me a DM, a tweet, and I see it. It’s everywhere and it was a lot to take.”
Before Love Island, Ekin-Su was in a Turkish soap opera. After she and Italian hunk Davide, 28, won the reality show she landed a string of deals, including a clothing range. Her following on social media has now risen to more than three million. And as she carves out her career, she refuses to give in to the trolls, saying: “I force myself to read their messages to get stronger. Before, it affected me. Now, it doesn’t as I’ve trained my mind and I’m not bothered.”
Ekin-Su certainly had something to smile about last weekend after her more conservative approach of dancing as The Sound of Music’s Maria – played by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film – was a hit.
And she was emotional when judge Oti Mabuse backed her. The former Strictly champ told her: “I want you to remember to stay true to yourself. You’re such a beautiful girl. It’s not a bad thing to be sexy.”
Ekin-Su, who is skating with pro Brendyn Hatfield, said: “I needed that. I needed that reminder.”
She said sexy routines empower her and should give other women confidence. “I think sexy gets taken differently,” she explained. “It’s not about cleavage, legs and bum. It’s about the knowledge you have, the way you carry yourself, how you speak to people, your tone. It’s knowing who you are and embracing it. That is sexy.”
Dancing On Ice, Sunday night, 6.25pm, ITV1
