Tasha Ghouri of Strictly Come Dancing Cries Discussing Online Harassment

On Saturday night’s episode of Strictly Come Dancing, Tasha Ghouri became emotional while discussing the adverse online responses she has encountered concerning her disability. Ghouri, a 26-year-old former contestant on Love Island, and her dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec achieved a joint series-high score of 39 from the judges for their performance to Pink’s “What About Us.” Prior to their routine, Ghouri, who was born deaf and utilizes a cochlear implant, visibly expressed her emotions as she informed viewers about online trolls creating videos targeting her speech. She disclosed that following her participation in the 2022 dating program Love Island, she was subjected to a barrage of harsh remarks, leading her to feel as though she had disappointed “the whole deaf community.” The North Yorkshire native, known as a model, author, and podcaster, made history as Love Island’s inaugural deaf contestant on the ITV series, ultimately securing a joint fourth-place finish with her current boyfriend, Andrew Le Page. Ghouri stated her motivation for joining the program was to seek love and elevate awareness for the deaf community, but instead, she became a target of online animosity. She recounted, “When I left the show, I remember my dad sat me down and he looked at me straight and said ‘Tash, there is a lot of horrific stuff that was written about you, especially on social media.'” Ghouri added, “There are videos made about my voice and the way I speak, it became a trend at one point.” Ghouri described the experience as causing her to reach “rock bottom.” She explained, “Because I wanted to go on for representation and I feel like I failed, not just myself but, the whole deaf community.” However, she affirmed her resolve not to allow the trolls to prevail. Ghouri declared, “I’m going to use my platform and educate people.” Currently, Ghouri commands a following exceeding 2.2 million across her various social media platforms. She has collaborated with Number 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education to advocate for issues pertinent to deaf individuals. Prior to the commencement of the current Strictly series, Ghouri expressed the profound significance of this opportunity to her. She stated, “I can’t believe I’m going to be on Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve been watching the show since I was little and it’s a firm Ghouri family favourite, so this is a total dream come true.” Her participation follows three years after Rose Ayling-Ellis became the first deaf contestant on Strictly and subsequently won the competition. On Saturday evening, the remaining 10 celebrity participants and their professional dance partners performed in the ballroom as part of Strictly Come Dancing’s inaugural icons week. Among the celebrated artists honored during the program were Taylor Swift and Beyonce. JLS singer JB Gill, alongside his stand-in professional partner Lauren Oakley, achieved the joint highest score of this year’s series, placing them at the top of the leaderboard with Ghouri and Skorjanec. Professional dancer Amy Dowden, Gill’s regular partner, was unable to participate in last Sunday’s results program, having been hospitalized as a “precaution” after “feeling unwell.” Oakley substituted for Dowden, performing a Bruno Mars medley with Gill on Saturday’s broadcast, which earned the duo a score of 39. The icons celebration is set to proceed on Sunday night, featuring professional dancers performing a Beyonce medley, with Johannes Radebe embodying the singer’s alter-ego, Sasha Fierce. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.