Tasha Ghouri's life hasn't always been filled with glitz and glam.
The Love Island star, 26, slipped from gold last week following her Tango to Florence + The Machine's smash hit Dog Days Are Over. The hauntingly stunning routine scored the celeb and her pro dancing partner Aljaž Škorjanec a respectable 34 points - ranking them 3rd on the Strictly leader board.
Since, the duo have been perfecting their Samba to I Like To Move It Move It by Reel 2 Real for the show's iconic Halloween Week. But, will it be enough to bump them back to the top of the league tables?
While gruelling rehearsals and long-hours training might take its toll on most contestants, Tasha has built up an impressive resilience from her time in secondary school. The reality TV star, who was diagnosed deaf at birth and wears a cochlear implant, has candidly opened up about growing up with her disability - and how being deaf has become her 'superpower'.
In an interview with Grace Beverley, Tasha said: "Teenage years were definitely the toughest years of my life. It was kind of more because when you're a teenager you're figuring out who you are as a person, you're going through hormones etc - and it's kind of like that time when I was trying to figure out who I was as a person, but I was the only deaf student in my school. That added pressure as I was always comparing in such a negative way and I was so horrible to myself.
"I didn't love myself. I had no self love. I had no self confidence. It wasn't until I actually left school that's when I actually started to gain a little bit of confidence. [Getting into the] dance industry massively helped me with that, but through school it was tough."
Tasha added that she was 'lucky enough' to have a supportive friendship and wasn't 'horribly bullied' in real life, even though she did get cyber bullied. But even with a strong friend circle, Tasha struggled to excel in her exams due to the school not providing her with the necessary amount of support.
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"I was kind of pushed to the sides and my grades weren't great because I was deaf kind of thing," she explained. "There wasn't enough awareness. I would often get seated at the back of the class where I needed to be at the front so I could lip read. Teachers would write on the white board but turn away from me so I would miss out on notes and important information. There were times where I would just go in my bedroom and just cry for hours."
Reflecting on her adolescence, Tasha says she wishes she weren't so harsh on herself and embraced her differences. "With social media theres so much pressure to look and be perfect all the time... but take your time. Confidence doesn't come in a day," she added. After becoming Love Island's first death contestant, Tasha has continued to view her disability as a 'superpower' and uses her platform to spread awareness - even featuring in an advert promoting sign language.
Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday on BBC One.
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