Love Island is set to welcome its first-ever deaf contestant in Natasha Ghouri, reports claim.
According to insiders, the 23-year-old dancer is on the final line-up for the upcoming new series of the hit ITV2 reality dating show and joins the likes of male model Zach Hartman who has also been rumoured.
Natasha wears a cochlear implant which helps with her hearing loss and last year, she was featured in a viral Asos campaign that saw her showing her medical device in an earing advert.
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 bloody 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.’
‘Everyone is really excited about having Natasha on the show,’ an insider said. ‘It’s something really positive for youngsters to see.’
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The source added to The Sun: ‘She looks amazing in a bikini, has a great bubbly personality and just happens to be deaf.’
The move comes after deaf EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis, 27, won Strictly Come Dancing in December with dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 31.
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Last year’s Love Island saw PE teacher Hugo Hammond become the show’s first-ever disabled contestant who was born with a club foot.
‘I had around 20 correction operations before the age of eight, so that was pretty heavy, pretty hardcore,’ the 25-year-old said at the time.
‘It doesn’t really affect me too much, I’m very lucky. [If] I’m on my feet all day doing whatever I’ll want to sit down in the evening but I’m pretty sure that’s the same for everyone, obviously I can’t compare it.’
Love Island returns on Monday, June 6 at 9pm on ITV.
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