Strictly Come Dancing star Tasha Ghouri's brutal remark about dating before Andrew

Love Island turned Strictly Come Dancing contestant Tasha is thoroughly loved up with Andrew Le Page - but back in 2022 she had strong words to say about her love life

Tasha Ghouri is riding high on the dancefloor, with her third week topping the leader board and the first 10s of the series.

The Love Island star is proving to be a perfect partnership with Aljaz Skorjanec, who may be in line for his second Glitterball Trophy win following his victory with Abbey Clancy back in 2013.

Tasha, 26, received three 10s for her Charleston to Unhealthy by Ann-Marie and Shania Twain but had to plead for "kindness" after facing some criticism online for her dance background.

The star trained in Commercial Dance but insists it's very different to Ballroom and Latin, which contestants take on in the Strictly series.

A model too, Tasha is being cheered on every step of the way by her boyfriend Andrew Le Page, who she met on Love Island. The couple are fixing up a home together in the countryside and in true modern day celebrity style, documenting every part of the journey on social media.

In an interview about entering the Love Island Villa, Tasha told Rio Ferdinand's Get Real With Rio podcast that she had two reasons for taking part in the show. One was representation, with Tasha born deaf and receiving her first cochlear implant when she was five. The second was finding love.

"To actually find someone," she told the former England star. "My dating life before was an absolute shambles. I couldn't find someone that really accepted me for me so I was like: This is an opportunity to really connect with someone, with no phones. I really liked that idea."

The same year she competed on Love Island, Tasha was linked with former Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice but their relationship never got going. She later told The Sun: "I've met up with him a few times. But that was years ago. We are not in touch now, this is like ancient history."

The star instead found love with Andrew, 29 and the couple have been smitten ever since. Andrew has a tattoo dedicated to his girlfriend on the back of his upper arm, featuring a hand signing 'I love you' in British Sign Language, cradling Tasha's cochlear implant.

Tasha branded the gesture "beautiful" and has a rose inked behind her ear, to match one Andrew has on his hand. She is continuing to represent on Strictly - and she couldn't be happier about it.

"I've been so lucky for the past two years, to be able to raise awareness around the deaf community," she told Yahoo! Life. "Someone messaged me the other day and said, 'Because of you, I feel confident today.' That means so much – that's what makes me smile.

"It's showing people with disabilities that when you put your mind to it, you can do hard things. It shouldn't define you, but it's a special and unique part of you."