Tasha Ghouri, the first deaf contestant to have a cochlear implant and EXCLUSIVE: Love Island star, has spoken out about her time on the show and the realities of living in a villa.
Former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri has lifted the lid on the reality show’s best-kept secrets – including her unusual habit of sneaking in a two-hour nap while the other girls got glammed up for the evening.
Tasha, 26, who won hearts during the 2022 series (Season 8) and made history as the show’s first deaf contestant with a cochlear implant, says her quick catnap was essential for surviving villa life.
She continued, “I wasn’t really a full glam girl.” I would ask the producers to wake me up just an hour before the other girls were doing their makeup for hours. In twenty minutes, I would apply bronzer, eyebrows, lip gloss, a little mascara, and curl my hair. Because I’ve been reading all day, it really helped me recharge. People talking over each other and having so many accents make you feel exhausted.
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The model and dancer, who has teamed up with Philips for the Lumea IPL hair removal devices, admits she hasn’t had time to watch this year’s Love Island but says it remains addictive because it’s “a human and social experiment” that lets viewers watch friendships, romances – and fiery rows – unfold in real time.
Reflecting on her own series, Tasha revealed recouplings could drag on for up to five hours, with constant retakes if Islanders giggled at the wrong moment. And those secret “down days” weren’t quite the break fans might imagine – they still weren’t allowed to mix freely, but perks included pizza and McDonald’s feasts.
Tasha, who wowed audiences on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, after her villa stint, says her biggest mission was always representation. “I never saw anyone like me on TV growing up. Now, people decorate their cochlear implants because they’ve seen me dancing with mine. That’s the power of feeling seen.”
The model and dancer from Thirsk was born deaf and wore hearing aids until she was five-years-old, when she had a cochlear implant fitted.
She wants to raise more awareness for the deaf community and is confident in her deafness, which she refers to as her “superpower.”
What’s inside you and what’s inside you, according to the saying. So I’ve always told the younger generation to embrace their beauty because they are already enough, she exclaims.
At the age of 23, Tasha has come a long way since entering the Love Island villa, and she won’t soon let the trolls out.
Admitting her self-confidence has come on leaps and bounds since her reality TV days, she also reflects on the fact that even she still has the odd wobble.
She explained that because of the pressure, bullying, and bullying in this industry, I had to develop thicker skin. “Obstacles actually make you stronger,” says the saying.
After Love Island, Tasha faced cruel ableist comments about her hearing – but rather than hide away, she used it as fuel. “I wanted people to understand why my voice sounded how it did and why I could be more sensitive sometimes. By speaking up, I realised I do have a voice and I deserve to be here – and I’m not stopping, even if people get sick of me!”
She continued, “I was only 23 when I went in, self-employed, and figuring it all out,” as she recounted her whirlwind journey. I learned a lot about communication and individuality from that experience, and it helped me become much more powerful. In the last three years, I think I’ve grown more than ever. I’ll always be grateful for the platform that Love Island gave me.
To help women feel most self-assured and at ease in their own skin, Tasha and Philips Lumea IPL collaborated.
Source: Mirror
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