You know what? I guess you’ve seen her on your telly lately. Tasha Ghouri is everywhere these days, and good for her, frankly. She has this way of just getting on with things that makes you think, Why can’t I be more like that?
So here’s the thing. Tasha hails from a lovely little market town in North Yorkshire, Thirsk. Date of birth? That would be the 11th of August in 1998, which makes Tasha Ghouri age 26 currently. But what makes her story even more unusual is that she was born profoundly deaf. Not partially. Completely.
Her parents found out about her being deaf when she was still a baby, at around 12 months old. Now, some families could have panicked. But Tasha’s lot? Together, they learned British Sign Language. All of them. That’s what you call family support, that is.
At the age of five, she had a cochlear implant fitted by doctors at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Prior to that, she’d been wearing the hearing aids, but they were no good. The implant worked, but it took years of speech therapy. Tasha didn’t speak a word until she was 5 years old. Just sign language. Could you imagine being a little kid and not being able to say what you wanted to?
That Love Island Summer
OK, so 2022 comes and Tasha walks into the Love Island villa. First deaf contestant in the history of the show. That’s massive, yeah? But now it gets a little bit rubbish. People online began to take the piss out of how she spoke. We’re talking videos that went viral, with six million views, with girls imitating her voice. I mean, come on. What’s the point of that?
It was in there that Tasha met Andrew Le Page. Lovely lad from Guernsey. They placed joint-fourth, spent 58 days together and emerged as a full-on couple. Moved into a flat in East London. Bought a house together in February 2024. Even adopted a rescue dog named Luna. Things looked sorted, didn’t they?
Andrew was very supportive when Tasha landed the Strictly Come Dancing gig. He’d show up to see her rehearse and encourage her. Before the show, Tasha informed everyone that “We’re going to marry each other one day.” She was dead certain of it.
Then January 2025 happened. They split up. Just like that. The training schedule for Strictly was insane – all those long hours, hardly seeing each other. It just placed too much pressure on them. Andrew moved back to Guernsey.
Tasha Ghouri remained in their home, newly single and 26 years old and living alone for the first time. She shared on TikTok that she was “processing” everything and that it seemed “pretty scary”.
Picking Herself Back Up
Look, breakups are grim for anyone. But imagine yours being all over the papers and social media. That’s got to be ten times worse, hasn’t it? Yet Tasha’s not the type to sit around feeling sorry for herself.
After Strictly finished (she got to the semi-finals, by the way), she went on the live tour. Performed in arenas across the UK. Her dance partner, Aljaž, said working with her was “magical”. Anton Du Beke, and he doesn’t say those words lightly, called her the most talented competitor the show’s ever had. From someone who’s been on Strictly since day one, that means something.
Her Dad’s Side and Growing Up Different
Here’s something I found interesting. Tasha Ghouri’s ethnicity includes Indian heritage through her dad, Tarek. Her mum, Giovanna, is English. That mix gives her these stunning features that modelling agencies went mad for. She’s 5 feet 9, walks with her cochlear implant on full display, and she’s changing what the fashion world thinks beauty looks like.
Growing up, Tasha was the only deaf kid in her school. Primary and secondary. The only one. That must have been lonely as anything. She’s talked about how she’d compare herself to the hearing kids and get frustrated when she couldn’t keep up. Sometimes she still gets exhausted from constantly lip-reading. It gives her migraines. She needs days in bed sometimes just to recover.
But her parents were brilliant. They noticed she had rhythm even though she couldn’t hear properly. She’d dance to their old Steps album, Gold: Greatest Hits, feeling the beat through the wooden floor. That’s when they knew she had something special.
What She’s Doing With Her Fame
This is what I properly respect about Tasha Ghouri. She’s not just another reality star flogging diet teas on Instagram (though she’s got 1.3 million followers on there – @tashaghouri if you fancy a look). She’s actually using her platform for decent stuff.
After Love Island, she partnered with eBay to sell pre-loved clothes. All the money went to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. She started a podcast called Superpowers with Tasha, where she chats with people with disabilities. She co-wrote a novel about a deaf girl who wants to be a dancer. It’s called Hits Different, and it’s actually really good.
She calls being deaf her “superpower.” I love that. Most people would see it as a problem. Tasha Ghouri sees it as what makes her different, what makes her special.
The New Chapter
So what’s happening now? Well, word on the street is she’s seeing someone new. Cam Whitnall, who presents on CBBC and runs his family’s zoo in Hertfordshire. They apparently bonded over animals, which makes sense because Tasha’s obsessed with Luna, her rescue dog.
She’s also signed up for this BBC Two show called Pilgrimage. It’s where celebrities walk these old religious routes. This series is in Northumberland, including the walk to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. A bit of a random choice for her next telly appearance, but Tasha doesn’t do predictable, does she?
After the split from Andrew, some right idiots were messaging her asking who got to keep Luna. She shut that down quick smart. Luna’s staying with her for now, and they’ll sort out a proper arrangement when Andrew gets settled back in Guernsey. Even when people are being horrible, she keeps it classy.
Why She Matters
Here’s the thing. Tasha’s not perfect. She’s dealt with criticism from within the deaf community itself because she got the cochlear implant. Some people reckon if you’re born deaf, you should stay that way. Tasha’s caught between two worlds, as she is not fully hearing, not fully deaf. That’s got to be hard to navigate.
But she’s showing young kids with disabilities that they can do anything. Literally anything. Want to be on telly? Do it. Want to dance professionally even though you can’t hear the music properly? Do it. Want to write a book, start a podcast, or model for major brands? Do it all.
She’s been through the public humiliation of people mocking her voice. She’s had her heart broken in the most public way possible. She’s dealt with trolls and critics and people telling her she’s not “deaf enough” or too deaf or whatever nonsense they come up with. And she just keeps going.
That’s proper inspiration, that is. Not the fake Instagram kind where everyone pretends their life is perfect. The real kind, where someone shows you their struggles and how they got through them.
The Bottom Line
I started paying attention to Tasha Ghouri during Love Island, like most people did. But I’ve stuck around because there’s something genuine about her. She’s Yorkshire through and through, with characteristics such as no nonsense, getting on with it, and not moaning too much. Even when she’s got every right to moan.
At 26, she’s already done more than most people manage in a lifetime. And I reckon she’s only just
