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The sixth and seventh celebrities announced for the 2024 season of Strictly Come Dancing are Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and TOWIE’s Pete Wicks.
Ghouri, who was born deaf and uses a cochlear implant, found fame on the eighth series of the ITV2 reality show in 2022, where she met boyfriend Andrew Le Page.
She has since become a campaigner for the deaf community and worked with 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education. The model is dedicated to advocating for the deaf community and raising awareness about hearing impairments.
The reality TV star has worked with Number 10 Downing Street, The Department of Education and MED-AL to champion issues close to her heart. She is a published author with her debut novel Hits Different and has her own podcast, Superpowers with Tasha.
Announcing the news on the KISS FM Breakfast Show on Wednesday, Ghouri shared: “Pinch me, I can't believe I'm going to be on Strictly Come Dancing!
“I’ve been watching the show since I was little – it's a firm Ghouri family favourite - so this is a total dream come true. I know it's going to be an unforgettable experience and I hope to represent and make everyone proud out on that dancefloor.”
Ghouri, who is a trained dancer, said Strictly would be a new kind of experience: “I’ve not danced in quite a few years now, since Love Island my career has changed so much.
“I might not be good at it, like ballet, I’m not good at ballet, I’m trained in commercial, so I’m excited to learn these new styles.”
Elsewhere, Wicks also confirmed his participation by calling into Kiss FM on Wednesday morning.
The ITV2 star told the show: “Its a mixture of excited and petrified, generally petrified. I've been telling people, can you really imagine me really doing this and their like, yeah your right you wouldn't. I'm going to have to switch my phone off now I'll have a load of messages.”
Wicks revealed that he had already spilled the news to his best friend Sam Thompson, who “cried” after learning he was taking part.
He added: “I'm not joking he screamed jumped up and down and cried. He has already planned that he is coming every Saturday and he’s making T-shirts and he is my number one fan in life, he is already making T-shirts. He's a bit like Martha in Baby Reindeer.”
Wicks and Ghouri join previously announced contestants Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans, singer and actress Toyah Willcox and TV doctor Punam Krishan, as well as blind comedian Chris McCausland and JLS star JB Gill.
Swimmer Tom Dean also confirmed that he will be appearing on the show after reaching the final of the men’s 200 metres individual medley in the Paris 2024 Olympics last week.
The popular BBC dancing show has made headlines recently after a storm of controversy over the alleged treatment of contestants on the show.
2024 contestant Wicks is notably close friends with Zara McDermott. The Love Island star appeared on the 2023 series but it has since emerged that her professional dancer partner Graziano Di Prima, 30, admitted to kicking her, which led to his dismissal from the BBC series.
Reports suggest that his abusive behavior was captured on video, with McDermott describing the footage as “incredibly distressing to watch.”
Also the results of an investigation, launched by the BBC following allegations made about Giovanni Pernice by former participant Amanda Abbington, have not yet been published by the corporation. Pernice rejects the allegations.
