‘I know I’ll marry Andrew - he’s my soulmate’
Love Island star-turned-disability champion Tasha Ghouri chats about her life since the show, engagement rings and living in the moment
You don’t need to be a Love Island fan to know that Tasha Ghouri has been making waves since she appeared on the hit reality show in 2022. The irst ever deaf contestant to appear on the ITV dating series has steered clear of fast fashion and short-lived brand deals and is using her pro ile to raise awareness for the deaf community.
During Deaf Awareness Week this week, dancer and model Tasha is highlighting the representation of disabilities in all forms on our screens.
Tasha, 25, looks completely at home in front of the cameras as she poses for our shoot, but says such internal ease has only come to her recently as she has gained maturity since she irst appeared on our screens. “I know what I want to do. I know my worth now,” she says.
She is still loved-up with her Love Island boyfriend Andrew Le Page, 29, and the couple are renovating their home. There is talk of a diamond ring (no pressure, Andrew, but Tasha has a speci ic style in mind!) and we wonder how long it will be until their spare room has a change of purpose…
Here, she talks about dealing with relationship pressures, swerving fast fashion, using her growing platform for good – and shares some top beauty tips.
Hello, Tasha. We love that you’re making your own path after Love Island. How hard was it to not be tempted into fast fashion deals?
To be 100% honest, I did wear a lot of fast fashion before Love Island. But then with ebay as the sponsor of my series, it really made me more aware of my shopping habits. Coming out of the villa and now working with them as a partner, I went through my whole wardrobe and bin-bagged everything that was fast fashion and gave it all to charity. That was my reset.
How do you think you’ve changed since we watched you ind love?
I think mostly in maturity. I’ve de initely found myself deep down, who I really am. I feel more at ease now, more settled. I know my worth and I think that’s a big one, especially in this industry. You need to know who you are and really stick with it.
Has your personal style changed as well?
I really love pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying different make-up and hair looks these days – that’s one way that you grow more as a person. I’ve changed completely since leaving the show, but in the best ways possible.
Can you tell us your favourite beauty products from your make-up bag?
Ooh, I’m loving L’oréal Paris Lumi Glotion. Back in the day, it was my go-to. Now they’ve brought it back and I’m buzzing – it gives a perfect summer glow. Also L’oréal Paris Panorama Mascara gives a perfect cat-eye look. I always use REFY products for brows because I love a fluffy style, and my go-to lip gloss is Fenty Gloss Bomb. For lip colour, I really love Patrick Ta.
Are you a “less is more” girl when it comes to beauty?
I don’t like being caked in make-up. I like to showcase my freckles and the natural beauty of my face sometimes. I play around with make-up for award shows and events, but I’m a natural girl at heart.
You’re keen to chat about Deaf Awareness Week. What are you hoping to focus the spotlight on?
I’d love to see more representation on TV as a whole. We’re deinitely taking a step in the right direction, but I think it’s still not quite there – it still feels like box ticking. I want to continue that momentum by questioning why we can’t have, say, two deaf people on a show, or more than one person in a wheelchair. It’s about making inclusivity not a surprise.
Do you think we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of deaf representation?
It’s amazing that we’ve got me and Rose [Ayling-ellis], and to have our voices. It feels like it’s slowly getting there, but I think we just need more representation as a whole, not just for the deaf community, but all of the disabled community. My dream is to watch Love Island one day and see just a completely diverse and inclusive mix of people.
‘MY DREAM IS TO WATCHND LOVE ISLAND AND SEE A COMPLETELY DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE MIX’
We hear you’ve been working on something exciting to do with schools…
Yes – I worked with the Department for Education to get British Sign Language introduced into schools as a GCSE choice, and it’s super exciting. I hope that people will take this opportunity to learn sign language and to make deaf people feel more included in conversations. I wish that I had the option back at school, because
I had to stop using BSL and I was forced into using speech around people.
You wear a cochlear implant now to help you hear, but you took it out for a video to show your deaf accent. Tell us about that…
When I irst came off Love Island, I wasn’t ready to show that side of me just yet. But I was on a trip recently and I was about to put my cochlear implant in to ilm something when I would naturally keep it out and I thought, ‘It’s time to stop doing that and embrace the real me.’ Seeing the response to the video was amazing, and the more the deaf accent gets talked about, the more people feel seen and heard.