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Tasha Ghouri: ‘There's so much beauty in silence'

We're not X-Men, able to fly, read minds, control the weather, lift cars and stop time. Instead, we're putting the bins out at non-superhuman speed and taking the bus instead of teleporting – it's a sad state of affairs all round. But, says TV personality and disability campaigner Tasha Ghouri, we're doing ourselves a disservice. We do all have superpowers, whether it's a disability, quirk or skill, and we can make the most of them. Advertisement 'Remembering who you are as a person, that's the whole root of the book,' says the model and dancer of her new self-help guide, Your Superpower: Embrace What Makes You Different. Calling it 'a very vulnerable, raw' read, she weaves together personal struggles and tips on everything from dealing with bullying and break-ups, to the perils of social media and why it's so important to believe in yourself. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tasha Amber Ghouri (@tashaghouri) Ghouri, 26, had a 'fun' childhood ('I was a kid that would play hopscotch outside,') but it was 'tough' too. From Thirsk, North Yorkshire, she was born deaf and had a cochlear implant fitted aged five. She now considers her disability one of her key superpowers and has learned to 'embrace the silence'. 'I have the option to be deaf or hearing, which I love. When I go to sleep, I always take [my cochlear implant] out. I have the best sleep ever,' she says delightedly. 'Even in my downtime, I just love to take it out and watch TV with the subtitles on.' Advertisement 'There's so much beauty in silence,' she adds. 'I wish everyone had it, because it really is such a lovely thing, to be able to switch off, recharge your batteries and ground yourself again.' When Ghouri was in the middle of her A-levels though, the internal element of her cochlear implant broke and needed replacing, requiring an operation. Suddenly she had no choice about how much silence she experienced. 'It felt really strange, not hearing anything for months,' she remembers, but it didn't stop her getting the train to college every day and taking her dance classes, 'even though I couldn't hear anyone'. 'I didn't want it to bring me down. Don't get me wrong, I did break down quite a few times,' she says, but is adamant the experience made her 'so much stronger, it made me prepare myself for future scenarios if that was to ever happen again.' Tasha Ghouri at the Pride of Britain Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London Ghouri walked into the public eye in 2022 wearing a bikini; she was 23 and entering the Love Island villa. 'I remember thinking, 'You're here now, really embrace this opportunity.'' And she did. 'I don't regret any of my time on Love Island. I learned so much,' she says. That said, coming out of the villa had its trials and marked the start of a 'very crazy six months'. Advertisement Despite a decent duty of care – multiple psych evaluations, parental consultation and the team keeping in touch for months afterwards – Ghouri still faced online abuse and, of course, newfound fame. 'There was a lot of ableism, opinions and I had to navigate a whole new reality,' she says. 'I was with Andrew [Le Page, fellow Love Islander] at the time – as a couple, there was so much pressure. My friends and family were also struggling to deal with that new reality as well, I was having to balance so much.' Flooded with work opportunities and parties she 'burnt out'. 'Going to events, there's drinking involved. It became a thing where I kept doing it a lot,' she says. 'I thought, 'OK, Tasha, you need to find your balance.' 'There were many times where I lost myself,' she continues. 'Luckily, I stayed grounded. I knew who my people were, who my family and friends were.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tasha Amber Ghouri (@tashaghouri) In a happy twist that Ghouri didn't see coming, Love Island proved a kind of therapy for her parents, who broke-up when she was a child. Advertisement Unable to talk to Ghouri in the villa, they turned to each other. 'I used to be the middle person. 'Mum said this. Dad said that.' It was always like that during my teenage years,' says Ghouri. 'It's so nice they can now be in the same room, they can communicate, and that's purely because of Love Island.' The dating show might have changed her life and brought her parents – who both write sections of the book – back into the same orbit, but Strictly Come Dancing was her ultimate telly dream. For two years before Ghouri got the gig, she manifested it. 'I just kept saying, 'Strictly, Strictly, Strictly, that's the one show I want to do and I'll retire after that!'' When she got the call she cried her eyes out. 'I was so shocked.' She and professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec made it to the final, and almost daily Ghouri still watches clips on YouTube of the pair of them whirling round the dance floor, doing the American smooth and the waltz. 'It's such a big part of my life,' she says proudly. 'In 20 years' time, if I ever have children, that's something I'm going to show them.' Advertisement What many people will be wondering is how much her break-up with Le Page earlier this year will feature – they'll have to wait until the final chapter. 'I've been quite private about it because I've been dealing with it,' she explains. Ghouri has been criticised for joining dating app Raya too swiftly (she later called it a 'silly mistake'), and taking their rescue dog, Luna – whose bark soundtracks our chat – when they're actually co-parenting her. 'The press really took control of the story. I felt like I had no voice,' she says, but writing about the split was a chance to 'say how it is and then put it to rest. I feel like it's a perfect way to stop the noise.' 'I still care about him, we did not end on bad terms,' she adds. 'We've spent two and a half years of our lives together, that's never going to change or get taken away from us.' Your Superpower by Tasha Ghouri (Piatkus/PA) Since the break-up, Ghouri has moved into her own place and been on a solo holiday ('That was quite scary at first'). 'Solo life is a bit up and down at the moment. Even living on my own, I've never done that before,' she admits. 'But there's beauty in new beginnings and new chapters.' Like any 20-something, let alone one in the public eye, she is annoyingly under a fair amount of pressure 'of, 'You're 26, when are you going to get married? You need to think about kids.' But no, actually, I'm going to use this time to focus on my own growth,' says Ghouri steadfastly. 'You can lose yourself in relationships and I want to focus on: 'Who is Tasha? What makes me happy?'' One thing she knows for sure is that her future happiness will likely involve 'loads of dogs.' She laughs and heads back to Luna and the life she's carving out for herself, superpowers and all. Your Superpower: Embrace What Makes You Different by Tasha Ghouri is published in hardback by Piatkus. Available now