They’re both Love Island legends in the own right but, before they appeared on All Stars 2025, we didn’t really ever imagine the day that Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Curtis Pritchard would be a fully-fledged couple.
However, now that the Danielle Sellers drama is over and done with and they’re on the straight and narrow after finishing the series in third place, we have to admit that Ekin and Curtis’ relationship just works and, frankly, they’ve quickly become one of our favourite Love Island couples of all time.
However, it’s fair to say that their romance has divided viewers. Some have insisted that relationship isn’t genuine and have even gone as far to say that producers put them in the villa purely to cause drama.
All things considered, when All Stars winners Gabby Allen and Casey O’Gorman swung by Closer HQ earlier this week, we just had to ask them what Ekin-Su and Curtis were really like IRL and whether their relationship was the real deal.
Given that we’re huge fans of CurtKin (the cute couple name we’ve given them), we’re relieved to report that Gabby and Casey had nothing but nice things to say about them.
Gabby said, ‘Ekin and Curtis are very theatrical people, but I actually just think that’s who they are. They are very flamboyant, dramatic, and they suit really well because of that reason.
‘The producer plant thing is a bit mad, isn’t it? That people think they were put in there for that reason. I think they’re very entertaining to watch, to be honest.
Casey agreed, before revealing what it was like to see one of their explosive rows in the flesh. He said, ‘I can imagine as a viewer back at home, they would have been absolutely great TV. I saw it pop up on a TikTok the other day, because we didn’t get to see their argument when there was this whole Danielle [Sellers] thing going on.
‘She’s chucked a drink over him, five minutes later they’re kissing and I’m thinking, “What is going on here?” I think there was a clip of me being like, “What a weird, odd ten minutes,” or something.’
Casey continued, ‘I’m seeing the clip and they’re having this argument back and forth and then he’s gone, “I really miss my mum,’ and then she’s gone, “Come here,” and given him a kiss. I’m thinking, “What is going on?”
It was just as weird watching it on TikTok as it was seeing it in real life, but I mean it would have been great TV. It was like a proper scene from Hollyoaks.’
To be honest, we still haven’t entirely wrapped our heads around that bizarre rows weeks later – but it definitely was cracking TV. Someone give them a BAFTA.
WATCH Love Island’s Ekin-Su and Curtis reflect on their time in the All Stars villa and the shade of it all 👀
Nathan Katnoria is heat and Closer online’s senior digital writer. He became obsessed with Love Island when Malin Andersson came back to confront Terry Walsh in series two and hasn’t looked back since. When he’s not interviewing former Islanders, Nathan is scrolling through their Instagram feeds for relationship updates and piping hot tea.