Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu's family have insisted that she has been 'hung out to dry' by Dancing on Ice bosses.
The Love Island winner's nearest and dearest have claimed that ITV bosses sparked a major backlash by giving Ekin-Su such a raunchy routine which was slammed by viewers who complained to Ofcom.
After her first performance, Ekin-Su, 28, found herself in the bottom two after performing a provocative dance to Britney Spears’ hit, Toxic.
Viewers not only complained about Ekin-Su's risqué dance - where she recreated her iconic Love Island crawl - they were also unimpressed by her outfit as she sported a nude bodysuit bedazzled with sequin.
Ekin-Su will have to fight for her place on Dancing On Ice on Sunday following the wave of complaints from viewers, but her loved ones are blaming bosses for giving her the provocative performance.
“The general feeling among her family and friends is that she has ended up in this situation through absolutely no fault of her own. Ekin-Su was told what track she was skating to, what outfit she would wear and what moves she’d be delivering," a source told The Sun.
“The feeling was that the performance she gave didn’t go down well with viewers of a show which airs at teatime on a Sunday night, particularly one which is a favourite with families.
“Obviously ITV bosses felt like a Love Islander used to being on screen in a bikini was a reasonable person to show in such a sexy outfit and routine. But the audience for the dating show, which always airs after the watershed due to its adult content, is totally different," they added.
Following the drama, Ekni-Su hit back with an inspiring message.
The Love Island winner has hit back with a positive message of self-acceptance, as she told her fans on Twitter: "Don’t ever compare yourself to others. You are not a copy, you are an original. Craft your own individuality and sense of style! And just be yourself.
In another tweet, Ekin- Su added: "Don’t study me. You won’t graduate."
In the Dancing on Ice launch episode on Sunday, Ekin-Su scored a total vote of 21.5 points from the judges, as Ashley Banjo gave her a 5.5, Oti Mabuse scored her a 6, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean both a 5.
Yet, it proved to be a tough start to the series for the Love Island reigning champ, who landed in the bottom two after she received the least amount of public votes.
