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Meet Love Island's First Ever Deaf Contestant Natasha Ghouri
30 May 2022, 11:06
Natasha Ghouri is joining Love Island 2022 as the show’s first-ever deaf contestant.
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Love Island is returning in a matter of days and the series is set to welcome its first-ever deaf contestant.
Natasha Ghouri is joining the lineup next week alongside confirmed contestants Paige Thorne and Dami Hope.
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The 23-year-old dancer and model wears a cochlear implant which helps with her hearing loss.
Natasha was featured in a viral ASOS campaign for earrings last year that saw her showing her medical device in an advert.
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In a post at the time, she wrote: “MY HEART IS FULL RIGHT NOW! Thanks so much for all of your kind messages WOW.
“It may just be an ear but it means so much more – like what @rnid_uk said representation matters, and I’m proud to represent my community.
“Biggest love to @asos for welcoming me in and breaking boundaries as this will really help and inspire people out there.”
The singleton from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, told ITV ahead of heading into the villa: "[My family and friends] would definitely say I’m a nap queen - I love napping! I think they’d also say I’m inspirational because of my hearing and my cochlear implant. I inspire quite a lot of people because I’m really open about it."
Annie Harris, at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, said of Tasha joining the line-up: "We are really pleased that another major TV show is featuring a deaf contestant. Representation matters."
This comes after PE teacher Hugo Hammond joined Love Island as the show’s first-ever contestant with a known physical disability after he was born with a club foot.
Love Island starts on June 6 on ITV2.
