Love Island star Tasha Ghouri has shut down "stereotypical and ableist" comments that were made about the way she acts as a deaf woman.
After coming fourth on the dating series, she was the first ever deaf contestant on the show and has a cochlear implant fitted to aid her with her hearing.
Tasha was born deaf as a result of the "small hairs in the cochlear were missing and damaged" and her doctors still don't know why.
After using British Sign Language when she was young, she became less reliant on it after getting the implant and learning to lip read.
Opening up about ableist comments in a new YouTube video, Tasha said that there is pressure for her to "act a certain way because I wear a cochlear implant”.
“I’m also going to be working on pushing the deaf community even more. I think coming out [of Love Island] it really did show me there is a lot of work that still needs to be done,” Tasha said.
“Going into the show and really wanting to show people that just because you have a superpower, it doesn’t define you – it’s just part of something special that you have.
“And coming out of the show and seeing some of the comments that people were saying about me, that I should act a certain way because I wear a cochlear implant because I’m deaf is so stereotypical.”
Explaining that there isn't a "certain way" a deaf person should act, she added: "It’s just a part of who you are. I’m human like everyone else and yeah…it was…. quite a few comments I saw. The thing is with me, you can have an opinion – a negative one – but never bring someone’s superpower into it, because that’s ableism and there was a lot of that.
“A lot of that and it goes to show we’ve still got a long way to go and I still use my voice for the greater good.”
The 52-year-old is often regarded as one of the nicest actors in the business. A former co-star of Stephen Graham‘s has revealed that he made an incredible offer to adopt him after he suffered a tragedy. Thomas Turgoose starred alongside Graham in 2006’s This Is England. Then 13-year-old Turgoose played Shaun Fields, a young boy […]
We are in constant awe of Jessie Buckley Jessie Buckley’s award season triumph has been incredibly inspiring to watch, especially for the women of Ireland. Buckley took home the Leading Actress BAFTA at the award ceremony in London last night, making her the first Irish actress to win in this category. Jessie Buckley won the […]
Eric Dane has sadly died after being diagnosed with ALS in April 2025 Actor Eric Dane, best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, has sadly passed away at the age of 53. The actor’s passing comes less than a year after he was diagnosed with ALS. His devastated family confirmed the heartbreaking […]
