Strictly‘s Tasha Ghouri has revealed that she had been inundated with deaf fans who have copied the sparkly cochlear implants she has proudly worn on the dance floor.
The deaf Love Islander star has her implant customised by Strictly’s costume team with bedazzled designs, styled to match her outfits.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s final, Tasha told MailOnline: ‘The amount of messages I’ve got, especially from younger women, younger children, teenagers—they’ve said, “I’ve got representation. I’ve seen you on TV. I’ve started decorating mine as well.”‘
‘That’s the power of representation. It’s so important, and I feel so thankful to have had the opportunity to help people find their confidence and be themselves.’
The podcast host also revealed how she removes her cochlear implant to manage sensory overload in the high-energy environment of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 26-year-old said: ‘On Saturdays, when all the magic and craziness is happening, I literally will be in my dressing room and take my implant out. I just need time out from everything.’
Strictly ‘s Tasha Ghouri has revealed that she had been inundated with deaf fans who have copied the sparkly cochlear implants she has proudly worn on the dance floor
”It can get quite overwhelming with over-sensory load. But the support has just been amazing from Aljaz, the team, and everybody at Strictly.
‘I have to say, you get the challenges to overcome—they make you stronger and help you grow even more.’
Despite these challenges, Tasha and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec have delivered some of the season’s most memorable performances, including achieving the first perfect scores of the series.
Reflecting on their success so far in reaching the final, the model said: ‘We’ve created such amazing, magical dances—the waltz, the American smooth, the couple’s choice.
‘Everything we’ve done together, I feel like it’s going to run for such a long time. I’m so proud that we’ve left a footprint there. I truly won with this partnership.’
Not all moments have gone according to plan.
During their Argentine Tango, Tasha’s cochlear implant unexpectedly fell off mid-performance.
‘Not once in rehearsals did it come off, so that was a shock moment,’ she explained.
The deaf Love Islander star has her implant customised by Strictly’s costume team with bedazzled designs, styled to match her outfits
‘I remember Aljaz’s eyes literally went, “Oh no.” But in our minds, we said to each other, “Let’s just keep going.” It’s a live show.
You can’t stop and say, “Can we restart?” But I have so much trust in Aljaz, and that got us through.’
The pair are gearing up to perform an American smooth, a couple’s choice routine, and a show dance in the final.
Aljaz, 34, shared his excitement about the opportunity to showcase Tasha’s talent.
‘Show dances are a great opportunity because there are no rules. You can just literally do what the music tells you to do,’ the professional dancer said.
‘With Tasha, the one thing I’ve really pushed for is just pure quality of dancing. It’s not about flips or tricks—it’s about the brilliance of what she does on the floor.
Tasha and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec have delivered some of the season’s most memorable performances, including achieving the first perfect scores of the series
‘The thing I love the most about the show is the ballroom and latin dancing. The way Tasha has been able to master that to the extent I’ve never seen anyone do.’
‘And I’m lucky that I get to do that with you. And I think that show dance, I want to showcase that more than anything else, of course, there’s going to be lifts, of course there’s going to be,sort of flourishes. But more than anything, I think what Tasha is the best at is dancing.’
He added: ‘In a funny way, I feel like I enjoyed it even more than I did in 2013 and especially with Tasha.’
‘I couldn’t have dreamt to do this with anyone more kind, respectful and talented. I’ve danced more in the last three months or so than I did ever in my life.
Tasha will compete against JB Gill, Sarah Hadland and Chris McCausland in Strictly’s finale
Tasha, reflecting on her Strictly experience, described it as transformative.
‘When I first came into the show, I wouldn’t say I was a big TV personality—I was quite shy and introverted. Strictly has opened my shell up so much’, she said.
‘Now, I feel stronger, more independent, and I know who Tasha is even more.’
As the final approaches, the pair are focused on delivering performances that will celebrate their journey.
‘This has been an absolute dream,’ Tasha said. ‘I’ll never forget this experience.’