Love Island star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has told Sky News she would like to volunteer to help with the earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.
The British-born TV personality and model, who is of Turkish descent, also revealed to Sky News presenter Mark Austin that members of her family have been caught up in the disaster.
“It’s honestly so heartbreaking because it’s my heritage, I’m Turkish so I’ve got so many friends and family out there,” she said.
Read: Turkey-Syria earthquake – updates: More than 7,300 killed
“I have members of my family who have experienced the shake. They’ve been outside, they’ve been sleeping outside.
“It’s scary because it is people who are close to me.”
So far, more than 7,300 people are known to have died across Turkey and Syria following a huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a series of powerful aftershocks in the region.
Rescuers, among them a team of 77 specialists from the UK, are desperately attempting to rescue survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings.
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Cülcüloğlu, who previously lived and worked in Turkey as an actress, revealed she had donated money to the rescue effort and has taken part in an appeal video for the British Red Cross.
Asked if she would consider going with the charity to help in person, she said: “Yes – as soon as the opportunity is given to me I’m there.
“Obviously it is my home, it is my second language. Anything I can do, I’m there to support anyone.”
Read more:
Turkey-Syria earthquake: Baby born under rubble of her home
More powerful tremors among 285 aftershocks recorded
Urging others to also donate, the 28-year-old added: “A little bit of anyone’s help would be great because we need people to save those people that are buried under the ground.”
Cülcüloğlu, who won Love Island 2022 with her boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, was born in Islington, north London, to Turkish parents and lived in Istanbul while starring in Turkish television shows.
Speaking about her experience, she said: “We always live in edge in Turkey – I lived in Turkey for two years.
“You just never know – any movement – we are scared of the next earthquake.
“I always lived in fear when I lived in Istanbul, but the fact that this has hit many cities and it has affected a big area of Turkey and Syria is so devastating.”
