Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, 24, who made history as the show's first deaf contestant, has shared her dream of hosting an inclusive dating show.
She said: "In the future, I'd love to see more representation of all communities, especially in dating shows. My dream would be to host a dating show where it's completely inclusive and everyone can be who they want to be."
In the exclusive chat with OK! Tasha also opened up about her past struggles, and said: "When I was younger, I compared myself to others in such a negative way." She revealed, too, the challenges she faced when her cochlear implant broke during her time at performing arts college, which had a significant impact on her mental health.
Despite these hurdles, Tasha remained resilient and was astounded when Love Island approached her to be on the show.
She said: "I was in complete shock. I didn’t think they’d have someone with a cochlear implant. Growing up, I didn’t feel represented on TV except when Rose Ayling-Ellis went on Strictly Come Dancing [in 2021]. That’s when I started to see the walls break down.
"A common misunderstanding about having a cochlear implant is that it's an 'easy' fix, which is absolutely not the case.
"It doesn't mend my ears or my hearing. It's more like having a robotic device that provides me with the ability to hear. There are also many side effects. Lip reading can be exhausting and noisy environments often give me severe migraines.
She added that focusing on anything exhausts her. "I experience a lot of concentration fatigue and sometimes need two or three days just to recharge. Even in the Love Island villa, I was tired every day and the producers would allow me to take short 30-minute naps."
The public always have an opinion, she admitted. "Sadly, while the show was airing, there were many ableist comments made about me. This could have seriously impacted my mental health, but I chose to use it as a chance to educate others. I started my podcast Superpowers With Tasha and created TikTok videos explaining different aspects of cochlear implants, which helped change people's views."
Tasha, who found love with fellow contestant Andrew Le Page, 28, on the show, went on to explain why "meeting Andrew on Love Island was incredible."
She said: "He's so supportive of me and understands my deafness. He knows when I need a break and if I need to remove my implant for the whole morning, he completely understands. It's so important to have that kind of support.
"He even surprised me by getting a tattoo that says 'I love you' in sign language. I was over the moon when he showed me. All I've ever wanted is to have that level of support and he definitely went above and beyond."
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