Davide Sanclimenti has received backlash after hinting that he will be returning to Love Island on the same day as confirming that he and his former partner, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, have split after 11 months together. But is the star actually going back into the villa? Here’s what we know…
The former islander, who won the 2022 series with Ekin-Su, confirmed that they had split on Thursday, posting a statement on Instagram which read: "Ekin-Su and I are no longer together. I am grateful for the memories and opportunities we shared together and I wish her nothing but the best. I would like for everybody to respect this decision during this difficult time. I will continue to support Ekin in any way possible."
The announcement certainly surprised fans, particularly since the pair had attended the Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny premiere on Monday and looked loved up as they posed on the red carpet. Shortly after the announcement, Davide shared a snap of himself in Spain, writing: "Guess who’s coming back," accompanied by sunglasses and an island emoji, hinting that he was returning to the ITV2 show. However, an ITV representative has confirmed to HELLO! that he will not be joining the series.
Fans weren’t impressed by the post, with one writing: "I really expected more class from you. Sad, really sad," while another person added: "Just broke up with Ekin now going back into love island no doubt. All staged."
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However, a third person wrote: "Why does everyone comment like his break up affects them, and like they know him personally? None of u commenting know him personally therefore u are basing what u think I know from fake social media and the actual media... which is exaggerated and also often fake. Concentrate on ur own lives... I'm sure Ekin Su is just fine it was clearly a mutual decision so why everyone's getting their knickers in a twist about someone they don't actually know is beyond me."
Meanwhile, Ekin-Su has yet to speak out about their split, but appears to be enjoying a trip to Bodrum, Turkey, where she shared snaps of herself posing in a denim mini-skirt, simply captioning the post: "With love from Bodrum."
Davide previously opened up about their relationship, telling The Sun: "Me and Ekin-Su had our struggles due to our public positions and we still have them sometimes. If there's something that I would change or would have done differently [with Ekin-Su in the villa] maybe I would have taken things a bit more slowly."
He added: "The best thing about dating Ekin-Su is that we understand each other - not just because we are literally the same person. She is my copy-paste."