Tasha Ghouri’s history as she enters Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Another year has gone by and the nights are drawing in again, which means Strictly Come Dancing is back on the BBC this Saturday.
September 14’s launch show kicks off at 7.20pm and will introduce 15 brand new celebrities who are all looking to take home the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
Among the line-up are the likes of 80s pop legend Toyah Wilcox, former footballer Paul Merson, and DIY expert and TV presenter Nick Knowles.
And, as always, faces from the world of reality TV will feature, with former X Factor stars Shayne Ward and JB Gill both participating in Strictly this year.
But who is Tasha Ghouri, the 26-year-old dancer from Yorkshire who will be partnered with her Strictly Come Dancing professional during Saturday’s show?
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Here’s everything you need to know about her, from her first TV appearance on Love Island, the disability she has raised awareness for throughout her career, and her dating history with Giovanni Pernice.
What did Tasha Ghouri do before Love Island?
Tasha entered Love Island back in 2022 (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Tasha Ghouri was born in Thirsk, North Yorkshire in August 1998, making her 26 years old now. Her parents were Nicky Young and Tarek Ghouri. She has a brother named Alex.
At a very young age, she started ballet lessons but quickly discovered that she was ‘not good’ at it, but was later trained in commercial streetstyle dancing.
She moved to London after graduating from school and college and signed up to a modelling agency, also spending time in France and working as a self-employed dancer behind a bar in the capital city.
What disability does Tasha Ghouri have?
Strictly Come Dancing begins again on September 14 on the BBC (Picture: Ray Burmiston/BBC)
Tasha Ghouri was born deaf, and was fitted with a cochlear implant just before her fifth birthday. A cochlear implant helps people with severe hearing loss or deafness to hear and understand speech by stimulating the nerves in the ear.
In 2022, Tasha applied for the reality dating show Too Hot to Handle, which eventually resulted in her auditioning for ITV’s Love Island.
She became the first deaf contestant to ever enter the Love Island villa, and eventually finished joint-fourth with on-show boyfriend Andrew Le Page.
During her time in the villa, Tasha’s voice was mocked by some viewers, with some TikTok searches relating to the term ‘girls mock Tasha’s voice’ receiving over six million views while the series was on.
In an Instagram post, her family wrote at the time: ‘Hey Everyone! We thank everyone for the love and support for our gal Tasha as we are behind her 110%.
‘We understand everybody has opinions both negative and positive but please could we avoid making fun of her superpower – let’s lead with love always!’
Joining Strictly means that Tasha becomes the second deaf contestant in the show’s history, after Rose Ayling-Ellis was crowned champion in 2021.
And she’s also the second contestant in Strictly history to join from Love Island, with islander Zara McDermott competing in the 2023 edition of the show.
What is Tasha Ghouri’s history with Giovanni Pernice?
What is Tasha’s relationship history with Giovanni Pernice? (Picture: Getty/BBC)
Tasha Ghouri opened up earlier this year about a rumoured romance with former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice.
Giovanni is currently being investigated by the BBC after his 2023 dancing partner Amanda Abbington accused him of being ‘nasty’ and a ‘bully’ – accusations the Strictly veteran has denied.
Amid the drama about Giovanni’s future on Strictly, Tasha was questioned about her personal history with him, and she remained pretty diplomatic and was reluctant to spill too many beans on their history.
‘I’ve met up with him a few times,’ Tasha admitted to The Sun. ‘But that was years ago. We are not in touch now, this is like ancient history.’
She continued: ‘I’m so happy with Andrew, and he’s my future, so I don’t want to talk about the past. It’s not my place to comment on [the allegations against Giovanni]. I’m here for my own experiences. I’m here just for me.’
Are Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page still together?
Tasha and Andrew Le Page have dated since the end of Love Island 2022 (Picture: Matt Frost/ITV/Shutterstock)
As of August 2024, Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page are still together, with the couple having remained in a relationship since finishing fourth in Love Island – the pair are said to have recently moved in together.
They finished fourth the year that Love Island was won by Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and her now ex-boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, who split in January 2024.
Tasha and Andrew are often seen together on social media, travelling the world and updating their fans on their time together.
Since leaving Love Island, Tasha has appeared on shows such as Celebrity The Weakest Link, CelebAbility, Countdown, and Lorraine.
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