Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has been withdrawn from appearing on the Celebrity Big Brother final, MailOnline can reveal.
The Love Island star, 29, endured a turbulent spell on the ITV1 show before being voted out last Friday, becoming the fourth housemate to leave.
But her subsequent treatment post-elimination, which saw her embroiled in a bullying row on CBB spin-off show Late & Live before being wrongly accused of pulling out of an appearance on Lorraine, has sparked her management’s decision to exclude her from Friday night’s showpiece.
MailOnline has been told Ekin-Su will explain her no-show to fans ahead of the final, where she was due to be reunited with her housemates and show hosts AJ Adudu and Will Best.
A source said: ‘It’s been a bit of a tough couple of weeks for Ekin-Su.
‘She could have played the sob story card but has remained tight-lipped publicly and expressed to those around that she’s aware she must be accountable for a few things that have happened.
‘Understandably she is feeling vulnerable, but is using this time to gather her thoughts, and figure out next steps, which is why her management believes withdrawing her from the final is the most sensible move.
‘She has asked the team for some time to reflect which everybody is on board with.’
An ITV source added: ‘Ekin has been a part of some of ITV’s biggest shows over the last two years, including Love Island, Dancing on Ice, her own spin off show with Davide, and now Celebrity Big Brother.
‘As such a lot of the team there feel very protective towards her, and it’s a real shame she won’t be at the final.’
The negative reaction towards Ekin-Su was sent into overdrive following her appearance on Late & Live last Friday shortly after her eviction, when she was booed by audience members and mocked by guest Layton Williams for claiming she was “edited badly”.
Her defensive style was sparked by loved ones informing her minutes before appearing on the ITV2 spin-off show that she was at risk of being “cancelled” and fans had “turned against her” due to the way she had been portrayed.
Hosts AJ and Will did little to suppress the volatile reaction of the studio audience, the latter even dubbing her “Ekin Boo Hoo Hoo”, which combined with Layton’s firey exchanges triggered hundreds of Ofcom complaints claiming she was the subject of bullying and forced former host Davina McCall to remind the show of their duty of care.
The pressure on Ekin-Su was ramped up further on Monday after claims she had pulled out of appearing on ITV1 show Lorraine at the last minute led to her being mocked further by presenters who were unaware of what had happened.
The following day both Lorraine and ITV issued an apology and were forced to clarify the reality star was never confirmed to appear and it became apparent she had not been personally involved in any discussions around the show.
Despite social media trolls revelling in the drama and driving further hate towards Ekin-Su, she remained silent, while telling friends she hoped Lorraine would not receive criticism following the mix-up.
However, Ekin-Su has privately admitted choosing to appear on Celebrity Big Brother after a relationship breakup – having split from Love Island co-star Davide Sanclimenti in January after two years – was, in hindsight, the wrong decision, believing she was not in the right frame of mind entering the house which may have contributed to errors she made during her stint on the show.
But she believes that does not mean she shouldn’t be accountable, despite loved ones angry at the behaviour of some of the housemates towards her, which was alluded to by co-star Levi Roots who claimed during his exit interview the Love Island winner was the subject of “micro-bullying” inside the house, and her negative treatment post-show.
She’s also received “hateful” comments on social media, which has included “physical abuse threats,” according to members of her family who have hit out at online trolls.
The source said: ‘It all feels like it’s been blown out of proportion. It’s been a hard lesson to learn, and she’s openly told her team that this experience has been an eye opener.
‘Ekin-Su, in hindsight, feels the decision to enter the house after a very public separation, was perhaps not the right decision, as she carried a lot of raw emotion and unresolved feelings into the house.
‘But she knows where she went wrong and will acknowledge things when she’s able to’.
The source added: ‘She’s set to acknowledge her absence from the final ahead of Friday with her fans, but for now management are trying to limit how much she’s online.’
Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches is hotly tipped to be crowned the Celebrity Big Brother champion on Friday, with Coronation Street star Colson Smith and TV host Fern Britton second and third favourites with the bookies.
Former X Factor judge Louis Walsh, despite grabbing most of the headlines, is the rank outsider of the six remaining housemates, which also include Strictly’s Nikita Kuzmin and Ibiza Weekender’s David Potts.
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