She is Circassian,[1] as the daughter of an Hatuqwai father and a Kabardian mother named Dinemyis (Adyghe: Apple of the eye).
Her father was a bureaucrat and master mariner who served as the CEO (managing director) of Turkish Maritime Facilities Inc.
In 2006, Akkaya became the host and lead judge of the fashion-themed reality television show Turkey's Next Top Model, the Turkish counterpart of the Top Model franchise that was hosted by many supermodels, including Tyra Banks in the United States and Heidi Klum in Germany.
[citation needed] In 2015, she was also entered in the Best of the Best as one of the Habertürk's top 20 winners of the Best Model of Turkey competition, and finished first amongst the former female titleholders who found entry in the large-scale survey that lasted for fifteen days.
She also served as editor for a fashion magazine and launched the children's luxury ready-to-wear store Chic Frog by Deniz Akkaya.