BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Tasha Ghouri 'can't even speak' at the end of every day as she reveals draining symptoms

The former Love Island star is the second deaf contestant to appear on the hit BBC dancing competition, and is partnered with returning dancer Aljaz Skorjanec

Strictly Come Dancing's Tasha Ghouri revealed she 'can't even speak' at the end of most days as she is too exhausted from lip reading. The former Love Island star opened up about suffering migraines from concentration fatigue from focussing on what people are saying each day.

Tasha, 26, was born deaf and didn't speak until she was five when she was given a cochlear implant at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Speaking honestly about experiencing sensory overload after a day out communicating with others, she wrote a post dedicated to her cochlear implant, something she says has changed her life.

She wrote: "I dont often talk about the struggles that come with being deaf and wearing a cochlear implant. I deal with social anxiety massively, alot of that came from the abelist comments i recieved and still do to this day, common thoughts that run through my head is "what if i cant hear whoever is speaking to me" "what if i completely misunderstand" "what if my voice gets judged" "what if someone comes over and takes out my implant" and so many more.

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"It's something im still coping with and its a journey for sure! Most of the time i’d rather just stay in my lil flat and not face it. I also deal with concentration fatigue - i have to lip read, focus in on conversations, by the end of the day i suffer with migraines and headaches, i'll be completely worn out and drained to the point i can't even speak. Hence why i nap alot, napping helps me to recharge and get my energy back! ⠀ ⠀

"I do have my down days - it’s normal to have these days! But at the same time im so grateful for my cochlear implant. its opened so many doors and opportunities for me. Just because I have a cochlear implant doesn’t mean I’m fixed. I have my struggles behind closed doors and so does everyone.

"I just wanted to share more of my reality AND everyone’s reality that has a cochlear implant / deafness / hearing loss!!! for those that are going through the same thing - you're not alone! Representation is important."

Tasha is set to take to the dance floor for the first time with her professional dance partner Aljaž Škorjanec on Saturday. Tasha revealed she has been dancing since she was young in a previous interview with Boots.

“I’ve danced since I was little. It’s always been my safe space," she said: “People tend to think that I can’t be ‘that deaf’ as I can dance in time to the music. But the reality is it’s all about training. I went to dance college and university, so I trained hard, long hours to learn how to be in time with the music – every professional dancer has to learn how to do this by counting to a beat.

“Sometimes I miss my cue, but that’s the same for all dancers, whether they can hear or not. Nothing should be off limits for deaf people – we can do anything when we work hard enough."