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Tasha Ghouri has spoken about how her disability has affected her Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals.
The Love Island star, 26, was born deaf and initially fitted for hearing aids before receiving a single cochlear implant just before her fifth birthday. The device assists with Ghouri’s hearing by electrically stimulating her auditory nerve.
Ahead of her first Strictly performance, the reality star discussed her “concentration fatigue” with her professional dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, who suggested they practice with the show’s live band ahead of their first performance of the series.
When Skorjanec asked Ghouri if Strictly training had been a struggle at any point, the influencer replied: “I think when you grow up with deafness you learn how to adapt.”
She explained: “I can suffer from concentration fatigue from lip reading all day. There may be times when I have a power nap for ten to 20 minutes just to get myself back and re-energised.”
Ghouri admitted: “I would love to take my cochlear implant out to really feel the music. Feel the vibrations. To feel ‘ok this is how it’s going to feel on Saturday night.’”
Skorjanec then suggested he and Ghouri head to the BBC studios where Strictly is filmed ahead of the live show to practice with the live band.
After rehearsing in the studio space, Ghouri said the live music really “elevated the sound” and was eager to film the show.
Ghouri and Skorjanec wowed the Strictly judges with their cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter’s summer anthem “Espresso”.
“It felt like just you and me on that dance floor,” Ghouri told her partner following the performance, which scored 30 points out of the available 40.
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“I am blown away,” celebrated one fan on X/Twitter. “She just set the bar up high after that.”
Ghouri has faced criticism over her inclusion in the Strictly Come Dancing line up due to her dance background.
Before shooting to fame on Love Island in 2022, the reality star trained as a dancer at Creative Academy and has since competed at major dance events and performed in music videos.
Some viewers feel that Ghouri’s extensive dance experience will give her an unfair advantage in the competition, but the star has hit back at those claims.
“When you’re in the studio, the glitterballs and the ballroom floor it’s like a whole new world,” she told The Independent and other media.
“Commercial dance is very different to ballroom dance and latin. I’m still having to strip down and relearn, even walking in cha cha step is weird to me.”
