From vespas to Verona to vineyards… Love Island winners Ekin-Su and Davide make a return trip to ITV2 with a new two-part series starting tonight.
ITV2 and ITV Hub are inviting viewers to follow the Love Island 2022 winners as they embark on two trips of a lifetime to Davide’s beloved Italy and Ekin-Su’s hometown in Turkey in Ekin-Su & Davide: Homecomings.
Ekin-Su and Davide had a fantastic journey on Love Island filled with romance, tiffs and tiramisu. They won the hearts of the public and were eventually crowned the Love Island winners. Now, after a summer of love, the couple are set to bring back the flirting, fun and laughter to our screens.
Boarding passes at the ready, the self-proclaimed ‘Italian Snack’ and ‘Turkish Delight’ pack their suitcases once again for two new adventures.
For the first time since leaving the Love Island Villa, Davide will return to Italy and his hometown Frosinone with Ekin-Su by his side. But before he heads home, Davide will give Ekin-Su a taste of Italy as the pair embark on a whistle-stop tour of the Italian city of love, Verona, made famous by lovers Romeo and Juliet.
Then they will travel through the Tuscan valley and eventually jet off to Turkey, where they will visit Istanbul. Ekin-Su will introduce Davide to the acting colleagues she met while living and working as an actress in Turkey. They will also venture on a eight-hour road trip in a campervan to Ekin-Su’s family village of Odemis. As they spend a night sleeping in their motorhome, cue the drama of living in confined spaces.
Along the way viewers will be introduced to the pair’s family and friends, from parents to siblings to grandparents and more. But will pancake professional Ekin-Su be able to impress Davide's family with her cooking skills?
Time will tell when she prepares some homemade Gnocchi with the help of Davide's mum.
From sun, sea, Turkish baths and belly dancing, this is set to be another fantastic trip for the couple. And, of course, they'll make time for a couples workout along the way.
Q&A with Davide and Ekin-Su...
Before you set off, what were you both looking forward to the most?
Ekin-Su: I was really excited to meet all of Davide’s family as well as explore and learn more about Davide’s culture. I was so excited to go on the road trip because we talked about it in the Villa and it is surreal it has actually happened! I was also really looking forward to Davide driving us around.
Davide: I was looking forward to meeting Ekin’s parents and all of her family in Turkey and also looking forward to her meeting my family in Italy. I always said in the Villa that I am looking forward to bringing Ekin-Su to Italy so I was just so excited to finally bring her to my country, show her around and take her to eat some good Italian food. We had such a good time together.
How did it feel to return to both of your hometowns with each other by your side?
Davide: It was surreal at the beginning because I didn’t expect to go into the Villa and then fall in love and bring the person that I love to my hometown. But at the same time, I was so excited and really enjoyed all of those special moments. I will cherish them.
Ekin-Su: It felt too good to be true, I kept thinking how are you here in Turkey with my grandma? It was honestly amazing.
Was there a time either of you felt out of your comfort zone?
Ekin-Su: I didn’t feel out of my comfort zone at all. I was very excited the whole way on both trips. There was something new and exciting to look forward to everyday. Davide planned some amazing surprises for us both.
Davide: Ekin thought camping may be out of my comfort zone. I went camping when I was younger and so did Ekin and when we were camping together, we realised we both love it. I love that Ekin enjoys the simple things and the outdoors, that is really nice.
Ekin-Su: Yes, I didn’t know what Davide’s expectations were going to be at first and I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy camping. We heard there were bears and pigs nearby us! I kept saying babe we are going to go into a caravan and stay on a campsite. How exciting!
Did you attempt to learn some Italian and Turkish in preparation for both of your trips?
Davide: Ekin picked up a lot of Italian words when we were out there. I remember a little bit of what I learnt and I am still learning.
Ekin: Yes, I picked up a lot of phrases. I kept saying Buongiorno and Ciao Bella to everyone I met and I am still learning more Italian.
In the show, we see you venture on a eight-hour road trip in a campervan to Ekin-Su’s family village of Odemis. How did you find being in a campervan?
Ekin-Su: They do say roadtrips bring you closer together and when we were in the campervan, I was so grateful to Davide for driving us around the whole time. It was really nice. We had so many amazing conversations whilst we were driving around. We were also singing a lot and we played a few games of eye spy. We just had so much fun mucking around!
Do you have any advice for people who haven’t ever been in a campervan?
Ekin-Su: Bring lots of food and make sure you have an amazing playlist. Music is important. Also make sure you have enough petrol!
Davide: Yes, we love music. A good playlist is essential.
If you had to recommend an iconic landmark you visited to someone, what would it be?
Davide: In Turkey, I loved the Spice Bazaar. It is a big market and you can find everything you need there.
Ekin-Su: I loved Verona and I loved Florence as well. I loved the art and architecture in Florence. I liked all the statues, they all reminded me of Davide and you will see what I mean in the show. Italy is such a romantic and beautiful place. The food, the music and the language! It is all so romantic. I’d recommend it to anyone!
Were you nervous to meet each other’s friends and family?
Ekin-Su: I wasn’t really. I was a bit nervous to meet Davide’s dad as I hadn’t met him yet but I loved his dad. I’d already met his mum and his sister and before I went to Italy, I was always speaking to his mum and sister on WhatsApp.
Davide: I wasn’t really nervous. I really loved Ekin’s grandma because we got along so well especially when we cooked together. My mum said that Ekin was a really good cook when they cooked together.
Did you learn anything about each other?
Davide: We already knew this but we learnt again that we are extremely alike. Ekin-Su is like a female version of me. We always say we are like copy and paste! We have the exact same banter and are always laughing.
Ekin-Su: Yes, we are both so dorky! I realised that Davide’s family is really similar to my family. I loved that I got to see where Davide went to university and visit his family home. I learnt that he has amazing family values and he has a pure heart which I really love.
What was the highlight for each of you?
Davide: Well I loved the Turkish bath experience. It is really warm in there and you have a massage after. I felt relaxed after it and I would recommend it to everyone. We also had a lovely romantic dinner in Italy and it reminded us of our last date in the Love Island Villa with the candles and lovely lights.
Ekin-Su: Yes, I also really loved that date! I would suggest going to the countryside in Italy. I fell in love with Davide’s hometown because I want to live in the countryside one day, it would be so relaxing. I would love to grow my own fruit and vegetables. I would have my own wine bar as well.
The carbonara recipe is quite legendary now, did you learn how to make any other dishes?
Ekin-Su: I remember all the recipes Davide’s mum taught me in Italy. I am going to make one of the dishes for Davide’s birthday. Davide also learned how to cook sarma in Turkey. My grandma said he was amazing at it.
Davide: Yes, I really enjoyed making the sarma in Turkey. I don’t understand Turkish but I connected with Ekin’s grandma and we really bonded over the food we made together which was really special for me.
In Italy, it was lovely to see Ekin and my mum cook Gnocchi together. My mum always cooks it for me for my birthday so I am really excited to continue this tradition with Ekin going forward.
What other countries are on both of your bucket lists?
Ekin-Su: Japan and Bali. We will definitely go back to Italy again but this time we will go in summer. I would like to go to Sicily next.
Davide: We would also love to go to Egypt, we want to see the pyramids.
Describe the show in three words?
Ekin-Su: Funny, adventurous and authentic.
Davide: Hilarious, cultural and wholesome.
What are you most proud of about the show?
Ekin-Su: I am proud we have our own show and that it’s on ITV2. We loved all of the crew that we worked with on the show and it really was great.
Davide: We had so much fun and we were just ourselves and I am most proud of that!
What’s next for the two of you?
Ekin-Su: We have moved in together now which is amazing! We are excited for more adventures, definitely more road trips.
Davide: We can’t wait to see what’s next for us in the next chapter of our lives!
Ekin Su & Davide Homecomings airs on ITV2 at 9pm on Monday 28th November and Tuesday 29th November 2022.