Tasha Ghouri Shuts Down 'Backlash' Around Her Casting On Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Tasha Ghouri has hit back at claims she has an advantage in the competition due to her prior dance background.

The former Love Island finalist – who made history as the ITV2 dating show’s first ever deaf contestant – was announced last month to be joining this year’s Strictly line-up.

At the time, several news outlets picked up on a supposed “backlash” to Tasha’s signing, due to the fact she was already a trained dancer before rising to fame on Love Island.

Earlier in her life, Tasha achieved a first class honours degree in Dance Performance, landing a professional dance job at a French ski resort hotel as well as performing in music videos for artists like MNEK.

However, in a new interview with The Sun, Tasha brushed off the suggestion she had a leg-up on her fellow contestants in this year’s series.

“I’ve had commercial dance training, but I’ve never trained in Latin or ballroom,” she explained. 

“Commercial is very different – it’s what you see backing dancers do behind pop stars. You are very grounded to the floor and you are very in yourself, whereas ballroom is completely the opposite of that. I’ve never danced with a partner, either.”

Tasha continued: “We did a chemistry day with the professionals, and even holding that form felt so odd to me. It’s something I’m not used to and will be a whole new challenge. 

“Obviously, with my dance experience, there will be some elements that will help me, like picking up choreography, but it’s not going to be the same.

“Even in my audition for Strictly I struggled a bit as my brain was like: ‘Oh, this is a whole new dance style,’ and there are so many steps and so many counts. There might be some habits that I’m going to have to unlearn and relearn, too. It’s a whole different ball game, but I’m excited just to give it a go. I might not be good at it – you never know!”

She previously told Kiss FM when she was first confirmed for the Strictly line-up: “I’ve not danced for quite a few years. Since Love Island, my career is so different.

“It’s such a different dance style, I may actually not be good at it. Like ballet - I’m not good at ballet. I’m trained in commercial street style. It’s going to be very hard but I’m excited for a challenge.”

Tasha is one of 15 celebrities from across the world of music, sport, TV and beyond who’ll be competing on Strictly in 2024.

She previously finished in fourth place in the Love Island final two years, alongside boyfriend Andrew Le Page, with whom she’s still in a relationship.

Last year, Tasha claimed she turned down an offer to dance in the Barbie movie as the filming would have clashed with her stint in the Love Island villa.

“Crazy how the universe works,” she wrote on X.