Love Island's Tasha Ghouri spills on villa life and show's best-kept secrets

Former Love Island star Tasha Ghourihas lifted the lid on the reality show’s best-kept secrets - including her unusual habit of sneaking in a two-hour nap while the other girls got glammed up for the evening.

Tasha, 26, who won hearts during the 2022 series (Season 8) and made history as the show’s first deaf contestant with a cochlear implant, says her quick catnap was essential for surviving villa life.

“I wasn’t really a full glam girl,” she told us. “While the other girls were doing their makeup for hours, I’d ask the producers to wake me up just half an hour before. I'd do bronzer, eyebrows, lips, a bit of mascara, and curl my hair - done in twenty minutes! It really helped me recharge because lip reading all day is exhausting. You get brain fatigue with so many accents and people talking over each other.”

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The model and dancer, who has teamed up with Philips for the Lumea IPL hair removal devices, admits she hasn’t had time to watch this year’s Love Island but says it remains addictive because it’s “a human and social experiment” that lets viewers watch friendships, romances - and fiery rows - unfold in real time.

Reflecting on her own series, Tasha revealed recouplings could drag on for up to five hours,with constant retakes if Islanders giggled at the wrong moment. And those secret “down days” weren’t quite the break fans might imagine - they still weren’t allowed to mix freely, but perks included pizza and McDonald’s feasts.

Tasha, who wowed audiences on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, after her villa stint, says her biggest mission was always representation. “I never saw anyone like me on TV growing up. Now, people decorate their cochlear implants because they’ve seen me dancing with mine. That’s the power of feeling seen.”

The model and dancer from Thirsk was born deaf and wore hearing aids until she was five-years-old, when she had a cochlear implant fitted.

She's confident about her deafness, which she calls her "superpower" and wants to raise more awareness for the deaf community.

“Beauty is within yourself and what's inside. So, I always would say to the younger generation, you know, just embrace the beauty of you because you are enough the way you are,” she beams.

Tasha has come a long way since strutting into the Love Island villa at just 23 - and she’s not about to let the trolls silence her any time soon.

Admitting her self-confidence has come on leaps and bounds since her reality TV days, she also reflects on the fact that even she still has the odd wobble.

“This industry is cutthroat - there’s pressure, trolling, bullying... it forced me to build a thicker skin,” she revealed. “Obstacles really do make you stronger.”

After Love Island, Tasha faced cruel ableist comments about her hearing - but rather than hide away, she used it as fuel. “I wanted people to understand why my voice sounded how it did and why I could be more sensitive sometimes. By speaking up, I realised I do have a voice and I deserve to be here - and I’m not stopping, even if people get sick of me!”

Reflecting on her whirlwind journey, she added: “I was only 23 when I went in, self-employed and figuring it all out. That experience made me so much stronger and taught me so much about communication and individuality. I feel like I’ve grown more in the last three years than I ever did before. Love Island gave me my platform — I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Tasha teamed up with Philips Lumea IPL to help women feel the most confident and comfortable in their own skin.

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