Love Island's Tasha Ghouri opens up on 'long' wait for deaf stars as she makes admission

Love Island's Tasha Ghouri has voiced her concerns about the lack of deaf representation in the television industry, highlighting how long it has taken for progress to be made.

The 26-year-old featured on the latest episode of Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, alongside stars Self Esteem, Edith Bowman, Kyle Soller and with live performances from Bradley Simpson and Nieve Ella.

In conversation with hosts and about her TV career, Tasha stated that she only noticed genuine deaf representation on-screen when she saw and former star Rose Ayling-Ellis on TV.

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In a poignant admission, she disclosed that she first saw a deaf person on TV when she was 22, merely four years ago.

Tasha said: "It was up until Rose, she was on Strictly. She was the first person to see on TV and that's when I was 22-years-old. So that's how long it's taken the TV industry for someone to get up there and show that anything is possible," reports .

She continued: "I remember watching Rose and thinking 'wow', she's the first person I saw to knock down barriers and really make deaf people be seen.

"So she was the first person for that but before I never really had anyone to look up to. As the only deaf person in my school, I really struggled with finding myself and my identity, I felt really isolated.

"So it took a while to find my confidence."

Actress Rose initially gained fame playing Frankie Lewis in EastEnders. After leaving the soap in 2022, Rose went on to clinch the BBC's title alongside Giovanni Pernice. Rose is slated to feature in the upcoming ITV series, Code of Silence.

This announcement follows Tasha's revelation that she had parted ways with her co-star Andrew, 30, in February. Tasha, who was a runner-up in the 2024 series of Strictly, shared this news.

In her new book, Your Superpower, which she promoted on Sunday Brunch, Tasha stated that the show resulted in them spending less time together.

Sunday Brunch airs Sundays at 10am on Channel 4.