Tasha Ghouri has been seen for the first time since she was announced as one of the celebrities taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The Love Island star, 25, was announced as the latest celebrity in the line-up on Wednesday morning.
After the announcement, Tasha was pictured arriving at a London dance studio on Thursday alongside Strictly professionals and other confirmed celebrities.
But her signing received backlash as it was revealed she is a trained dancer, having competed in a number of major dance events and featured in music videos.
Having danced since the age of five, Tasha’s participation sparked concerns she will have an unfair advantage over her co-stars.
Tasha Ghouri was seen for the first time since she was announced as one of the celebrities taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing in London on Thursday
Tasha was pictured arriving at a London dance studio on Thursday alongside Strictly professionals and other confirmed celebrities
A show insider said: ‘Tasha’s signing has certainly raised a few eyebrows. She’s a dancer by trade as well as a reality star and model, so it feels like she’s too qualified to appear on the show.
‘Tasha is certainly no novice and will always be so far ahead of her co-stars before training has kicked in.
‘There is a feeling her being on Strictly is a touch unfair on everybody else competing, especially those totally new to dance.’
Strictly announced in a social media that Tasha would be joining the 20th anniversary series on Wednesday morning.
While many congratulated the reality personality, who is the first contestant to appear with a cochlear implant, others suggested it was unfair.
And some eyebrows were raised about her signing for another reason – previously being linked to Giovanni Pernice, who controversially left the show after being accused of abuse. He denies the claims.
Yet it’s unlikely that her involvement with Giovanni will have any effect on the show, as their involvement was limited to dates two years ago, and there will be no hard feelings between the pair because their split was amicable.
A source previously told MailOnline: ‘Their romance didn’t progress because Giovanni was travelling a lot with the Strictly tour and Tasha was already involved with someone else.’
The Love Island star, 25, was announced as the latest celebrity in the line-up on Wednesday morning
But her signing received backlash as it was revealed she is a trained dancer, having competed in a number of major dance events and featured in music videos
Having danced since the age of five, Tasha’s participation sparked concerns she will have an unfair advantage over her co-stars
It was said to be Giovanni who pursued the relationship, reaching out to Tasha in January 2022, a month after he won Strictly with Rose Ayling-Ellis.
He is currently single after splitting from girlfriend Molly Brown last month, while Tasha is dating her Love Island boyfriend Andrew Le Page.
The insider stated: ‘Giovanni was persistent when it came to Tasha.
‘They have a lot in common, both being dancers, and he had just learned a lot about the deaf community performing with Rose on Strictly, who Tasha really admires.
‘Tasha was impressed by how gentlemanly he was, taking her out to top London restaurants and offering to send cars to collect her, but she’s independent and always made her own way to see him.’
Five months later, Tasha appeared on Love Island and became the first star to appear on the show with a cochlear implant, which is an electronic device she had fitted aged five.
Tasha Ghouri and Giovanni Pernice’s romance fizzled out because the dancer was travelling a lot with the Strictly tour and the Love Island star was already involved with someone else
Strictly Come Dancing has been hit by backlash after signing two professionally trained dancers for the new series of the BBC dance show
The star’s parents learned she was deaf when she was 12 months and growing up Tasha underwent years of speech therapy.
She says the disability has become her ‘superpower’ and before going on Love Island vowed to become an inspiration to the deaf community, like her idol, former Strictly champion Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Tasha told MailOnline in June 2022: ‘I love Strictly and being a dancer, Rose is such an amazing role model it was so powerful what she did. She represented me, as well as the deaf community and I just thought it was awesome. It was a beautiful message.’
