A little competition never hurt anyone! Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu first rose to fame after winning Love Island in 2022 and has since become a familiar face on reality television with stints on Dancing on Ice, The Wheel, The Traitors US, Celebrity Big Brother, and Love Island: All Stars.

Now, the British-Turkish actress is taking her talents to Netflix’s new high-stakes series, Inside: USA, and she’s sharing her advice for surviving (and thriving) on TV.

“I’ve always had that fire in me. … I’d describe my competitive spirit as strategic and observant. I love to have fun, but I also want to win,” she tells ET. 

Offscreen, the 30-year-old is just as fierce, but her opponents are different. 

“I’m competitive with myself more than anything. I’m always pushing to be better, whether that’s in my career or personal life. I love to set big goals and challenge myself. I don’t like to settle until I’ve reached them,” she says.

Since adopting that strong mindset, it’s been easy for Cülcüloğlu to ignore any haters. 

“Once you know your worth, the outside chatter doesn’t matter as much. When the comments come in, I try to focus on the positives and the love people send rather than the negativity,” the model notes. 

“I’ve learned that you can’t please everyone, and that’s okay. I remind myself that most negativity says more about the person writing it than about me,” she adds.

Above all, the television star embraces her journey on and off camera.

“People have literally watched me fall in love, make mistakes, and reinvent myself. I’m not afraid to change and grow. I want to keep surprising people and show different sides of who I am.”

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