Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has opened up on the mental health struggles she battled in secret while starring on Dancing On Ice earlier this year.
The 28-year-old – who shot to fame when she won last year's Love Island with boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti – was the third celebrity eliminated from the hit ITV1 skating show in February.
Now the reality star, who hails from Turkey and recently discussed how she would love to adopt victims of the country's recent earthquakes, has discussed her struggles for the first time.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Ekin-Su said she "couldn't say anything" about her mental health until now.
She told the publication: "There have been things in my life that I can’t mention now that have affected my mental health for a while.
"I had to keep smiling and pretend everything was fine.
"This was during Dancing On Ice when there were things in the background – not relationship related, by the way – [they were] work-related, that was very hard.
"I couldn’t say anything. It was mentally draining. That was one of the tough times.
"It took me a while to get back out of it…Your mental health is your priority."
She added how Davide, also 28, had helped her through her tough times and a trip to the Maldives after being voted off Dancing On Ice helped her recharge.
The Love Island legend recently opened up on the pressure she feels to constantly prove to her fans that she and Davide have not split up.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "Before I was on Love Island I would put an Instagram picture on there once a month.
"Now that I’m in the public eye, if I don’t change my profile picture people will think we have broken up or that something has happened, and it has not.
"Sometimes I feel the pressure from the fans and the public to show you are still together.
“I try to stay authentic to myself but it should be private. Love is linked to yourself — you have to love yourself to love someone else.
Despite a rocky start to the year with Davide, Ekin-Su said that she "can't imagine myself without him," as she went on to discuss their similarities, as they "like the same things" and even "argue in the same style".
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