Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has revealed that she is selling her Dancing On Ice skates to raise money for charity after the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey earlier this year.
The former Love Island star, 28, who is of Turkish origin and lived in Istanbul for two years, visited the country in March after the earthquake that killed over 59,000 people.
And now she wants to help by selling her skates to raise money for the British Red Cross.
She said on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain: ‘Why not donate my ice skating shoes to the British Red Cross and raise some money.
‘Instead of them sitting in my loft and getting cobwebs, I thought why not better sell them and make some money.’
Kind: Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has revealed that she is selling her Dancing On Ice skates to raise money for charity after the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey earlier this year
In action: Ekin-Su appeared on this year’s series of Dancing on Ice with her partner Brendyn Hatfield (pictured)
Elsewhere in the chat she opened up about the plight of the orphaned children in the region and the fact that she hasn’t been able to stay in touch with some people she met there on her visit.
It comes after in May the beauty – who won last year’s show with beau Davide Sanclimenti – revealed she was left traumatised by her visit to Turkey and even thought about adopting a little girl she met.
Ekin-Su said she met several children during the trip, including some who clung to her and began calling her ‘mum’.
One young girl begged the star to take her back to the UK with her after she lost her mother in the earthquake.
Ekin-Su said: ‘I would love to take her. It was traumatising – the whole experience. But once you bring one home you want to help them all. I really just want to raise awareness. We don’t know how lucky we are to be in the UK.’
The actress also opened up about the traumatic events the young girl experienced during the earthquake.
She said: ‘She doesn’t remember much of the actual event. It was 4am and all of a sudden it was black, everything was shaking, the walls were coming down and she was screaming, ‘mum, mum, mum’ and she doesn’t remember anything else.
Support: The former Love Island star, 28, who is of Turkish origin and lived in Istanbul for two years, visited the country in March after the earthquake that killed over 59,000 people
Harrowing: Ekin-Su said she met several children during the trip, including some who clung to her and began calling her ‘mum’
Plan: She said on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain: ‘Why not donate my ice skating shoes to the British Red Cross and raise some money’
‘I think she has a little brother as well and that’s all it is, she just wants mum. Anyone who gives her love, she attaches herself and cannot let go.
‘I think she was about four, very young.’
The star also revealed her family in Turkey live in fear of another earthquake and some of them have been sleeping outside since the disaster.
She said: ‘They always live their life with fear about what’s going to happen next, are we going to be here, are we going to be dead. That’s what their worry is everyday.
‘My dad’s side of the family, they’ve been sleeping outside everyday. They’re too scared to go back inside.’
Ekin-Su was born in Islington, London, to Turkish parents Sezer and Zekai and lived in Istanbul while starring on Turkish television shows, before moving back to the UK.
Her parents relocated to the UK and she also has a younger brother Arda.
Raising awareness: Elsewhere in the chat she opened up about the plight of the orphaned children in the region
Sweet: It comes after the reality star praised her boyfriend Davide for offering her emotional support following the earthquake
The earthquake was the second strongest ever recorded in the history of the country with a death toll of over 59,000.
It comes after the reality star praised her boyfriend Davide for offering her emotional support following the earthquake.
Speaking to Women’s Health magazine, she said: ‘Davide has been great supporting me emotionally. I was with him when we heard and I just couldn’t comprehend the devastation.
‘I’ve been keeping up with the news since it struck… I hope to visit the affected area with The Red Cross as soon as it’s safe.’
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