The exact formula Ekin-Su & Olivia Attwood followed to go from Love Island to Loose Women & CBB knocking on their doors
LOVE ISLAND has seen hundreds of hopeful young singles walk through the villa doors across 11 seasons either on the hunt for romance…or, in some cases purely searching for fame.
Although some Islanders have openly admitted to going on the show to further their careers and succeeded, many others have been forced to go back to their ‘day’ jobs after getting dumped from the show.
It’s almost a decade since the first episode aired and even ardent fans will struggle to remember every contestant.
But some villa alumni have gone onto enjoy careers they could once only dream of such as powerhouse Molly-Mae Hague who this week announced the launch of her first fashion brand, Maebe in the wake of her split from Tommy Fury, 25.
The 25 year old who was in the villa back in 2019 is the former creative director of fast fashion brand PrettyLittleThing, a position she gave up after the birth of her daughter Bambi, one.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, 30 who graced the villa in 2022, and 2017’s Olivia Attwood are two other women whose names didn’t fade when the sun set for the final time on the plush Majorcan pad.
Olivia, 33, has gone on to have a number of her own documentary series’ including Filthy Rich and The Price of Perfection, had a stint in the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here jungle, and became a guest panellist on ITVs Loose Women.
Just this week, Ekin-Su made the decision to come out of ‘hiding’ to reveal on the Lorraine show that she didn’t ‘recognise herself’ during an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) earlier this year – a daytime TV interview which she cancelled with producers back in March.
During her time on CBB, the show’s fans accused the star of being “fake” and of “playing up to the cameras”.
But she has now explained how it felt like the ‘wrong time’ for her to go on the show in the first place.
What comes next for Ekin-Su?
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, revealed that she received death threats and severe online abuse following her time in Celebrity Big Brother.
She’s shared how the the constant negativity was overwhelming, admitting, “I was trolled so much – death threats and all sorts. It was a horrible time.”
Despite these challenges, Ekin-Su remains determined to focus on her career. She emphasised the importance of not letting online hate overshadow her achievements and happiness.
“I’m not going to let the haters win,” she stated, underscoring her resolve to rise above the abuse.
Additionally, Ekin-Su is using her platform to raise awareness about the impact of cyberbullying and the importance of mental health support.
“I was healing – I wasn’t healed”, she said, referring to her heartbreak after her split from fellow love Islander Davide Saclimenti.
It seems by speaking out, Ekin-Su could be set to work again on her image and Kara Buffrey, Senior Account Director of PR for W Communications believes it’s her popularity on Love Island which should help her bounce back.
She says: “It’s a tough fall from grace to go from the nation’s sweetheart, to controversial, overnight.
“Despite that, Ekin-Su established herself as one of the most popular Love Island contestants in history by exuding her strong, independent confidence.
“She needs to tap into this, whilst remaining humble and apologetic, and soon she’ll find herself coming out the other side.”
And celebrity PR guru Ed Hopkins says that ‘authenticity’ is also key for women like Ekin-Su, and Olivia, if they’re to cement future success.
Here, Ed, and another PR expert Megan Boyle, who leads on PR at TAL Agency reveal the reasons why some contestants flourish after exiting the show, while others seem to ‘flop’.
Social media foundations
Before entering the villa, both Olivia and Ekin-Su already had a solid presence on social media.
Formerly an actress in Turkey, Ekin-Su had over 300,000 followers on Instagram, whilst Olivia who was a model and motorsport ‘grid girl’ also boasted a healthy fanbase.
Ed says having a notable fanbase before the show “undoubtedly contributed to their selection as contestants”, and Olivia has previously admitted that she was in fact cast from Instagram.
And not only were the followings a stepping stone to help them secure a slot on the show, but a solid fanbase arguably kept them there, says Megan.
She explains: “This is simple maths: as a contestant’s success on Love Island is largely based on public voting.
If someone enters the Villa with a strong and loyal social media following, they are more likely to gain those votes.”
The former Islanders’ social media followings have continued to soar, with Olivia’s now at 2.2 million and Ekin-Su at a whopping 4 million.
Megan says this continues to open up opportunities for each of them.
She says “A large and growing following means a broader potential audience for a brand’s products or services.
“A loyal following that has grown organically over time shows Olivia and Ekin-Su have a high level of trust and credibility with their audience. When they mention a brand’s product or service, their followers are more likely to listen.”
Pre-villa transformation
Both Olivia and Ekin-Su had significant work done on their appearances before Love Island, arguably a ploy to be noticed on the show.
Ekin-Su’s surgeon Dr Josh revealed that she visited him shortly before leaving UK soil for Spain.
He said: “We decided to add subtle changes, but still keeping everything looking very natural.
“First, we added tear trough filler to fill the hollows and give her that gorgeous ‘eight-hour beauty sleep‘ refreshed look.
“Then, I feathered in some filler into the lateral cheeks, to soften her middle cheek fullness, and jaw filler, to lift and create more definition.”
Olivia has also revealed how she had a variety of tweakments, including a ‘cheap and quick’ boob job in her twenties which she later regretted.
The pair’s transformations no doubt helped them become two of the most desired islanders on the show and afterwards.
Authenticity on the Isle
Both Olivia and Ekin-Su were not afraid to show their true colours in the villa, often winning the hearts of the viewers.
Including Ekin-Su’s hilarious escapade where she crawled across the terrace to share a secret kiss with contestant Jay.
Meanwhile, Olivia wasn’t afraid to speak her mind on the show – getting into some very memorable spats.
The saying ‘all publicity is good publicity’ rings true according to Ed who says: “Their authenticity and relatability on Love Island resonated with viewers”.
Meanwhile, Megan adds: ““Reality TV is supposed to be just that: reality. Viewers know that reality TV is incredibly scripted and edited, so they’re sceptical about everything.
“If they see someone on their screen who appears to not quite fit the mould and stands out, viewers are bound to take an interest.
“These contestants also know that standing out – doing something different – means more airtime, and therefore more fame.
“By making themselves known as big personalities from the offset, Olivia and Ekin-Su have given themselves a great head start for life after Love Island.”
Honesty in relationships
Although both Olivia and Ekin-Su found partners on the show and stayed with them for some time afterwards, neither felt the need to continue the relationships for the sake of their careers.
Back in January, Ekin-Su split up with partner Davide Saclimenti, 29, (for the second time) and Olivia split up with Love Island beau Chris Hughes 31, just months after the show ended, and is now happily married to footballer Bradley Dack.
Ed says: “While both Ekin Su and Olivia Attwood formed relationships on the show, their post-villa success wasn’t contingent upon maintaining these relationships for appearance’s sake.
“Instead, it was their ability to navigate these relationships authentically, regardless of the outcome, that endeared them to audiences.
“They were perceived as genuine individuals rather than just characters playing a role.”
Ability to adapt
Except the negative attention Ekin-Su received on Celebrity Big Brother, both women have adapted with ease to a variety of different audiences.
From acting – Ekin appeared on a Turkish drama series – to Olivia’s documentary series and other reality TV shows.
Ed says: “Appearing on shows like Loose Women and Celebrity Big Brother showcased Olivia and Ekin-Su’s ability to adapt to different formats and engage audiences across various platforms.
“Their success in securing these opportunities can be attributed to their ability to showcase just the right amount of personality —enough to captivate audiences and stand out, but not so much that it feels contrived.”
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