Any loyal Closer reader knows how much we adore Love Island's Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu. She is a reality TV drama queen in all the best ways, and even when we're not totally on her side (a few days during Celebrity Big Brother, bless her), we've always got this icon's back.
One thing we truly adore about her is even though she knows the ins and outs of the showbiz world and seems to be surrounded by PRs at all times, she's never afraid to tell it how it is and throw shade where it's deserved.
She might be an actress, but she's real this one.
As such, she makes for a bloody grand interview. In fact, Ekin recently spilled the beans on how her and Curtis got 'screwed' in the Hideaway in the All Stars villa and lifted the lid on the villa's phantom sh*tter when she popped into Closer HQ with her man, Curtis Pritchard. Get it? Lifted the lid.
Anyway, this week, the Love Island legend has refused to hold back once again in one of her always juicy Instagram Q&A sessions.
Now, it's no secret, Ekin-Su had a strained relationship with some of her All Stars cast mates earlier this year – especially the girls after the whole Elma Pazar x Sammy Root challenge kissing fiasco. After a catch-up with her brother, Ekin then made it clear to her fellow Islanders and the viewers at home that she knew some of the girls didn't have her back in the villa. But, who cares, 'cause she'd found a connection with Curtis in the villa and that was enough – it is LOVE Island, after all.
Her issues with the cast were then confirmed when we spotted this tidbit of shade in one of Q&A responses.
In response to a fan asking whether she kept in touch with Phaedra Parks from The Traitors US, Ekin-Su somehow managed to come for her fellow All Stars.
She replied, 'The Traitors US S2 cast is the best cast I've ever been part of hands down.'
A rather telling statement after she's just left a fresh Love Island cast behind, don't you think? 👀
Ekin-Su continued, 'All amazing people who I keep in touch with every now and then and I absolutely adore my @phaedraparks.'
Definitely not the shadiest thing to escape Ekin-Su's mouth since she found fame in the Love Island 2022 villa, but there's no grey area in 'the best cast I've ever been part of', is there?
The cast of All Stars 2025 might not have been our Ekin-Su's favourite, but she didn't let it affect her second Love Island experience. In fact, she exclusively told us, 'So glad we did it. I'm so glad. Never regretting it. Best thing I ever did.'
And if you want to see Curtis' shady response to those words (also directed at the All Stars cast), then check out the TikTok below.
WATCH: Love Island’s Ekin-Su and Curtis reflect on their time in the All Stars villa and the shade of it all 👀
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about TOWIE, Love Island and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅.