Former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri is set to appear in the upcoming series of BBC Two's religious programme Pilgrimage. The show, which follows celebrities on a journey testing their faith and values, will be filmed in Northumberland, an area pivotal in spreading Christianity.
An insider told The Sun's TVBiz column: 'A former Love Islander with no apparent religious leanings isn't the obvious choice for a show exploring faith. But then that's part of the point, because it brings together people from certain religions, or no religions, and the journey they go on sparks deeper discussions about their differing world views.'
The source added: 'Though it all sounds rather heavy, viewers have lapped up the show since it launched seven years ago and it's delivered some tender and funny moments of telly. Though it will be a particular culture shock for Tasha as the windswept coast of Northumberland will be a far cry from the poolside of the Love Island villa.'
Ghouri, who was born deaf and has a cochlear implant, credited former EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis for inspiring her to join Love Island in 2022. 'Rose was the first person I saw on TV that was similar to me. I thought that was amazing and seeing her on Strictly gave me the confidence to do Love Island,' she said.
The 27-year-old, who reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing last year, has highlighted the lack of disability representation on reality TV. 'There is still negativity around cochlear implants and deafness. It is still overlooked but there is still a long way to go, not just with deafness but with any kind of disability,' she said.
Ghouri also shared how she helped a young girl with a cochlear implant after appearing on Strictly. 'People were sending drawings in of how they were decorating their cochlear implants and that is the power of representation. I got a message from a six-year-old after I did Strictly saying that I had helped her with her cochlear implant, so that is why it is incredible to do things like that,' she added.
