Ekin-Su Culculoglu has praised her boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti for his support in the wake of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last month.
The Love Island star, who is of Turkish origin and lived in Istanbul for two years, previously revealed that said some of her extended family had been caught up in the disaster.
Now, in a new interview with Women’s Health magazine, she praised Sanclimenti for comforting her during the emotional period and vowed to visit the region once it’s safe .
She said: “Davide has been great, supporting me emotionally. I was with him when we heard, and I just couldn’t comprehend the devastation.
“I’ve been keeping up with the news since it struck... I hope to visit the affected area with The Red Cross as soon as it’s safe.”
The TV star was born in Islington, London, to Turkish parents Sezer and Zekai. She previously lived in Istanbul while starring in a Turkish soap opera before moving back to the UK.
Last month, the Dancing On Ice star vowed to do “anything I can,” and shared her hopes to be able to travel to the areas affected to help “as soon as the opportunity is given to me.”
Appearing on Sky News, the reality TV favourite said: “It’s honestly so heartbreaking because it’s my heritage, I’m Turkish so I’ve got so many friends and family out there.”
“I have members of my family who have experienced the shake. They’ve been outside, they’ve been sleeping outside.
“It’s scary because it is people who are close to me.”
In February, parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria were devstated by a major magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
That quake led to more than 50,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 173,000 buildings in Turkey.
AFAD, Turkey’s disaster management agency, said close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6.
Among them was a fresh 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the Turkey-Syria border two weeks after the initial quake.
The February 6 earthquake marked Turkey’s deadliest disaster in the modern era.
Hundreds of thousands of apartments were among huge swathes of buildings destroyed in the quake, leaving people buried beneath rubble in freezing temperatures.
Last month, Turkey arrested 184 people suspected of complicity in the collapse of buildings in this month’s earthquakes and investigations are widening.
