Over the years, we've come to accept that reality stars mix in the same circles and often collide, so you might not be surprised to find out that Love Island star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu reportedly enjoyed a fling with TOWIE bad boy James Lock before her time in the villa.
They are said to have met through mutual friends and had a "passionate" fling before things fizzled out.
The source added to The Sun that the fling was before James' relationship with his Celebrity Ex on The Beach co-star and former Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson.
Ekin-Su, who splits her time between Essex and Istanbul, also has links with James' BFF Pete Wicks, Jack Grealish and Wayne Lineker.
The actress is currently coupled up with Jay Younger in Love Island following an intense showdown with Davide Sanclimenti who labelled her 'a liar and an actress' after she sneaked off with Jay to have a smooch on the terrace.
And it’s fair to say that TOWIE’s James has developed a bit of reputation as a bad boy over the years after his high-profile relationships with Danielle Armstrong and Yazmin Oukhellou were both rocked by cheating allegations. Recently he reunited with Yazmin, leading some to speculate that the couple were giving it another shot, however this doesn't seem to be the case...
In fact, James recently enjoyed a getaway with a Love Island star... or should we say stars?
Yep you heard us right James went away with not one, but two Love Island stars in the form of AJ Bunker and Theo Campbell.
He is also on holiday with Ibiza Weekender star and Georgia Steele's ex Callum Izzard (wow).
James shared videos of the celebs on his Instagram story.
AJ also shared a video of the celebs, this time gearing up to go snorkelling.
If you're wondering why they're all together, it turns out all the celebs are away filming Celebrity MMA.
In light of this recent news we've taken a deep dive into Lockie's love life...
Who is Lockie dating?
Lockie is currently single following his split with his Ex On The Beach co-star Megan Barton-Hanson. He is definitely enjoying the bachelor lifestyle, but set tongues wagging when he was seen on a cosy night out with co-star and pal Chloe Sims.
The pair looked incredible cosy on the dance floor during a club night in London and Lockie was even seen giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek.
The videos definitely caught our attention, especially as Lockie and Chloe have been friends for YEARS and he's the best friend of her ex-boyfriend Pete Wicks.
CHECK OUT: James Lock's relationship timeline
James Lock relationship timeline
1 of 7Danielle Armstrong
Lockie and Danielle first began dating back in 2014 and it wasn't long before she joined him on TOWIE. Their turbulent on/off relationship provided many storylines for the ITVBe show, with James admitting he'd been unfaithful at the start of their relationship.The couple got back together when Danielle decided to give him another chance, but they split once again after a particularly nasty row in Marbella just as Lockie planned to propose.He later won her back for a second time but their romance just wasn't meant to be and she announced they'd broken up for the third and final time less than a year later. Danielle moved on from Lockie with footballer Danny Spiller but they split in 2019. Later that year, she went public with her childhood sweetheart Tom Edney and they welcomed a daughter, Orla Mae, in May 2020.
2 of 7Yazmin Oukhellou
James first went public with Yazmin in 2017, a year after he split from Danielle, and their high-profile relationship was quite the rollercoaster ride. They split in 2019 when Yaz accused him of cheating on her while on holiday. "To cut a long story short it was 4am and he wasn't with me in bed. He was in a room with two boys he met around the pool and three girls," she said on TOWIE at the time. Lockie denied cheating when he told co-star Georgia Kousoulou, "I didn't cheat. What happened is I've just gone out and I've put myself into situations that I shouldn't have been in." Lockie and Yaz later rekindled their relationship but called it quits for good after a series of rows while on holiday in Dubai. Confirming the split at the start of this year, Yaz told OK!, "James and I have split up amicably. I love James but we're not good together. It couldn't go on the way it was so I told James we should end things and he agreed."Following their split, Yaz quit TOWIE and moved to Dubai to pursue a new career as a real estate agent. However, she made a shock return to the show last month to confront her ex over his fling with her former friend Chloe Brockett.
3 of 7Ellie Mackenzie
James sparked rumours he was dating aesthetics clinic owner and influencer Ellie after his first split with Yazmin when they were pictured kissing. However, he's previously denied they were ever an item. He told the Daily Mail, "It was a nothing thing, it was never going to be anything serious. She's not someone I was seeing, she's not my girlfriend, everyone was saying 'James' new girlfriend,' she's not my new girlfriend. It was something casual. "There won't be a second date, I won't be pursuing her. She's not a bit of me. I've been getting it in the ear from my mum saying she's not for me!"
4 of 7Alison Hammond
Okay, so Lockie never officially dated Alison sadly, but the daytime TV legend admitted she "fell in love" with the TOWIE star when they filmed Celebs Go Dating together in 2019 and was left heartbroken when he admitted he didn't fancy her. Speaking on This Morning, she told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, "I fell in love with James Lock on the show. This Greek God. "He did say one thing to me, he actually said, 'Alison you're my perfect girlfriend, personality-wise'. I was absolutely devastated. So I went to the gym and worked out. So personality-wise I'm his perfect girl!"
5 of 7Rachel Fenton
Three months after confirming his split from on-off girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou and just days after her new man was 'revealed' as Lauren Goodger's ex Jake McLean, Lockie was pictured holding hands with former Love Islander Rachel Fenton.The TOWIE stalwart was spotted out and about with 2016's Rachel and a group of friends in London, and the couple looked pretty cosy as Lockie put his arm around her.However Lockie has since sparked rumours with one of his co-stars...
6 of 7Chloe Brockett
In one of the biggest shocks in recent TOWIE history, it came to light earlier this year that James had enjoyed a summer fling with his co-star Chloe Brockett. The pair hooked up multiple times but decided to remain friends instead of taking their relationship any further. Lockie and Chloe's fling quickly became the talk of Essex, with the 20 year old having a blazing row with Liam 'Gatsby' Blackwell after he spread rumours about the relationship and Lockie's ex and Chloe's former friend Yazmin returning to confront him. Chloe also revealed Yaz had blocked her.
7 of 7Megan Barton-Hanson
James' most recent ex is Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson. They met while filming the upcoming series of Celebrity Ex on the Beach and continued to date when they headed back to Blighty, although they did admit that they wanted to take things slow.Despite loads of PDAs, they sadly called it a day just before Christmas after they argued during a Christmas trip to New York.Even though James insisted that they were never 'officially' together and were just good pals, they gave their romance another go after he surprised Megan with a romantic trip away for her 28th birthday in March. Fast forward about two weeks, though, and Lockie confirmed they have split for good and are now just friends. Phew. However, there were reports that Megan was "upset" about the separation, with a source telling OK!, "She knows it's for the best and they've realised the best thing for them to do is to call it a day."The source acknowledged this saying, "Friends of the couple said that they have this weird connection and they can't keep away from each other, so they wouldn't be surprised if they got back together."But things hit a rough patch and they broke up after two months. In a Instagram Q&A, Megan was asked the reasons why the pair had called it a day and answered that things just 'didn't work out between them'.
What happened with Lockie and Megan Barton-Hanson?
Love Island 2018 star Megan and Lockie met whilst filming the current series of Celebrity Ex On The Beach and continued to date when they headed back to Blighty, although they did admit that they wanted to take things slow.
Despite loads of PDAs, they sadly called it a day just before Christmas after they argued during a Christmas trip to New York.
A source told Mail Online at the time, "Megan's relationship with James hasn't worked despite her being hopeful after he surprised during the early days of them dating.
"As time has gone on, they have argued more and the holiday they shared together in New York last week didn't go at all to plan.
"James spent Thursday night partying with friends and well and truly enjoying his single status again."
Megan then proceeded to delete all traces of Lockie from her Instagram and even unfollowed him.
In a Instagram Q&A session over the festive period, Megan was asked the reasons why the pair had called it a day and answered that things just "didn’t work out between them".
She then jokingly added, "He made a stunning Richard Gere for Halloween though."
Another fan then asked Megan, who is bisexual, how she felt about having another relationship.
She responded, "I love women and find women attractive but I'm more into relationships with men right now."
The reality babe and podcast host was also asked how she felt about dating someone who wasn’t in the public eye, to which she answered, "Yesss! I've said so many times I want someone not in our industry but it's all I meet when I prioritised work and events.
"This year I'm putting work second and myself and happiness first. I want to travel loads."
WATCH: Roman Hackett on life before joining TOWIE: ‘I was worried about the racist comments’
Even though James insisted that they were never ‘officially’ together and were just good pals, Megan and James gave their romance another go after he surprised Megan with a romantic trip away for her 28th birthday in March.
Taking to Instagram, Megan showed off the gifts that James had given her, including a HUGE boob-shaped cake and some Mach & Mach designer heels that come with a hefty price tag of £1,030.
Megan even confirmed the rumours, sharing a saucy snap of herself touching tongues with James with the caption, "Are you two back together".
They even enjoyed a sweet day out at the Sea Life centre as they posed for an adorable couple photo.
Speaking about her surprise, Megan wrote on her story, "Oh my god, what a little cutie! You're so proud of yourself!"
Fast forward a month ago though and the pair split AGAIN, with James taking to social media to say it was for good this time.
James announced the news to his 923k Instagram followers during a Q&A session on his Instagram Story. One person cut straight to the point, asking "Are you single?" to which he responded, "Yessss!!"
Another, seemingly confused given the recent announcement him and Megan were back together, wrote, "Are you and Megan still together?" To which James replied, "No we are friends!"
It seems James has no regrets, however, as when asked what his biggest regret was he answered, "I don't regret! I learn!"
However, Megan and James were yet again spotted looking cosy at a film screening in June and even reportedly headed home together. Honestly, we can't keep up with these two.
What happened with Megan Barton Hanson and Demi Sims?
Megan briefly dated TOWIE star Demi Sims back in 2019 after they met while filming Celebs Go Dating but their whirlwind romance ended bitterly when Demi claimed Megan dumped her just one day after the show ended and admitted she felt "used".
However, the pair have since made amends and Demi admitted she wouldn’t mind if Megan joined TOWIE when we caught up with her recently.
The youngest Sims sister told Closer, "I filmed a show called Eating With My Ex with Megan last December and we just cleared the air and left it there, so if she comes on the show with Lockie then good luck to them.
"I don’t know [if she will] as we’ve only got a couple of weeks left of filming."
"It’s just Essex init," Demi added when asked how she felt about her ex dating one of her pals.