Gareth Southgate has narrowly missed out on the title of most unexpected heroes of recent times, with Love Island champ, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu voted ahead.
Almost three million Brits put their eggs firmly in Ekin’s basket, with the hope that this is the only bit of silverware that Gareth misses out on this year.
When asked to identify their top hero or heroine from the last few years, 5% of respondents to the Sky Vegas survey identified the Love Islander as their number one choice – equating to over 2,800,000 Brits.
Ekin-Su’s popularity not only sees her outrank Southgate, but also a bigger hero than US President, Joe Biden and wannabee space explorer Elon Musk.
Sam Ryder was voted of equal popularity due to his Eurovision heroics, with fellow blonde bombshell Boris Johnson selected by a surprising 6% of the nation.
While Greta Thunberg tops the list for her environmental efforts, she only just outranks the Turkish soap star.
Most unexpected heroes of recent years, according to Brits:
| Rank | Name | Percent of Brits selecting them as the biggest hero |
| 1 | Greta Thunberg | 8% |
| 2 | Chloe Kelly | 6% |
| 3 | Boris Johnson | 6% |
| 4 | Joe Wicks | 5% |
| 5 | Sam Ryder | 5% |
| 6 | Ekin-Su | 5% |
| 7 | Gareth Southgate | 4% |
| 8 | Elon Musk | 3% |
| 9 | Joe Biden | 2% |
A Sky Vegas spokesperson said: “While some people have been out trying to save the world or run the country, sometimes all you need to do is provide a bit of light hearted entertainment on a reality TV show to win the hearts of the nation.
“Following the results of our research, Davide can now call his girlfriend a liar, actress and a hero. Congrats, Ekin!”