Love Island's Ekin-Su shares new life outlook after split and 'losing' herself
The reality star says charity cancer trek was "eye opening" and allowed her to show the real her
Love Island favourite Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu says she looks at the world differently now after a 'humbling' experience meeting women affected by cancer. The reality star joined actress Giovanna Fletcher and more than 100 women on the five-day trip to the Isle of Skye for the CoppaFeel! Trek this week, battling minus six temperatures, strong winds and torrential downpours.
'I didn't realise it was gonna be so hard,' admits two-time Love Islander Ekin. 'When you get to know all the women and their backgrounds and how they're still here and giving everything to life, the things that people complain about back home don't matter. There's people who have got cancer. Every day they have to live with it, and every day feels like it could be their last day. It's been a massive eye opener for me.'
Raising awareness of breast cancer, they also helped raise £418,888, almost hitting their £450,000 target. Ekin, 30, says hearing the stories of cancer has made her want to get her breasts checked for the first time.
'Some told me, 'I might have a few years' - that's what I'm taking out of this trip, that nothing is more precious than life," she told. "I definitely want to get my breasts checked for sure. I've never even felt my breasts and all I'm thinking about is that. And I want to find the nearest GP when I'm home and get my breasts checked for peace of mind. I want to tell my mum, friends, people younger than me. Catching it early is key.'
Ekin detailed a powerful moment where all the ladies stood topless on the top of a mountain. 'We had a picture, all the ladies together, tops off,' she recalled. 'Everyone showing their breasts. They're the reason why we're here. It just felt so natural. I embraced everything with the ladies and I felt connected when we had our tops off. We most beautiful scenery as well in the background on a mountain. Luckily no one saw us, there were no men walking past!'
Waking at 6am and trekking almost 10 hours a day, Ekin was totally out of her comfort zone, having never camped before. 'My friends were shocked,' she chuckled. The trek was a far cry from Ekin's glamorous Love Island days. 'I haven't washed my hair since I got here,' laughed Ekin. 'I've showered, don't worry! You don't think about those sort of things when you're here. You just think about living in the moment.'
She says she enjoyed being with 'wholesome, genuine, lovely, strong' people - and said it was a welcome reality check from the celebrity world. 'It's been very humbling,' said Ekin.
Known for her stints on Love Island, The Traitors US and Celebrity Big Brother, Ekin said it was nice to show her fellow trekkers the real her. 'I did say to them my industry is very lonely and it is a very ego high industry where you can lose yourself," told Ekin, who finished third in this year's Love Island All Stars with dancer Curtis Pritchard - but the pair split announced their split last month. "You can't always show who you really are. And moments like this make you very vulnerable and it shows your emotions, which is the real you. So that was nice for the ladies to see.'
She was joined by Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, and journalist Bryony Gordon alongside actress, author and CoppaFeel! patron Giovanna Fletcher, who led the group for UK's only youth focused breast cancer charity, CoppaFeel!.
Giovanna said the participation of one woman exemplified the importance of their campaign. 'She heard about CoppaFeel! from Instagram because of the treks,' she began. 'From that, she knew about signs and symptoms and six months later she found her own lump in which the doctor misdiagnosed. She has only just finished her treatment and is now trekking with us. I always say one of the reasons that we do these treks is so that people that are diagnosed can be diagnosed early and then walk with us in years to come.'
For more information about CoppaFeel! click here.
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