Deaf contestant on “Love Island”

There is a 23-year-old deaf contestant on the British dating game show, “Love Island.” Her name is Tasha Ghouri. BBC said she is the show’s first deaf contestant.

Ghouri is able to speak and her fellow “Love Island” contestants initially didn’t realize that she is deaf.

BBC said she “gathered the contestants to reveal that she had been completely deaf from birth and she wore a cochlear implant in her right ear.”

Ghouri explained in an Instagram post that she and her family learned British Sign Language when she was young and that she is able to lipread. She said as she got older, she became “less reliant on it because of the cochlear implant and learning to lip read.” She said when she takes off the outer piece of her device, she cannot hear anything, only beats and vibrations.

“Independent” reported that the show, which is in its eighth season, did not offer subtitles in its live broadcast. The show’s producer, ITV, said on Twitter that they are working on it.

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Last year Ghouri was a model for earrings made by a fashion company called ASOS and showcased her cochlear implant.

You can follow her on Instagram @tashaghouri or at @talkswithtashax.

Ghouri is the third deaf contestant to appear on a reality competition show in recent years with Rose Ayling-Ellis winning U.K. 's “Strictly Come Dancing” in 2021 and Abigail Heringer appearing on ABC’s “The Bachelor” in 2021.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-61717825

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/love-island-itv-deaf-contestant-tasha-ghouri-b2095515.html

https://www.instagram.com/talkswithtashax/?hl=en

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/a40208214/tasha-love-island-deaf-asos-model/

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