Following her impressive Cha Cha in week one, Tasha Ghouri has become a frontrunner for the coveted Glitterball trophy. The reality star has made history as Strictly's second deaf contestant and is paired up with returning favourite Aljaž Škorjanec.
Taking to Instagram after their performance, one fan raved: "Dance of the night for me so far! Incredible."
"They did so well!! What a fantastic dance," agreed a second.
While Tasha, 26, is best known for appearing on season eight of Love Island, not to mention her modelling career, she also hails from a dance background. As a result, some fans have suggested that it has given her an unfair advantage in the competition. Strictly choreographer Maria Tsiatsiana has since disputed the claims.
"You have to learn choreography and dance with a professional dancer – and all our pros are the best in the business – and then you have to dance under so much pressure. So if you took five ballet classes or ten or zero, everyone is at the same playing field on that Saturday night and in the rehearsal studio," she told The Sun.
So, what dance experience does Tasha have under her belt? Keep reading for the details.
Tasha's dance experience
Born in North Yorkshire, Tasha began taking ballet lessons at a young age, before training at the Creative Academy in Slough. She's also performed in competitions.
Ahead of her big debut on Strictly, the 26-year-old noted that she hadn't danced in a few years, and clarified that the world of ballroom dancing is completely different to commercial.
"Commercial dance is very different to ballroom dance and latin, I'm still having to strip down and relearn, even walking in cha cha step is weird to me – you have to turn out your feet and lead with your hips, so it's based on muscle memory," she told The Independent. "Even letting a man take the lead is a lot."
Strictly fix claims
Fans have noted that as well as Tasha, former JLS dancer JB Gill has been given an edge after years spent dancing in numerous music videos and touring with his bandmates.
During week one of Strictly, JB topped the leaderboard with a score of 31, following his Waltz with Amy Dowden. JB, 37, has also won the Strictly Christmas special before, taking first place in 2012.
Back in 2023, Layton Williams faced similar 'fix' claims, with fans suggesting that his background in musical theatre had made the competition unfair. His time on Strictly came one year after Layton wrapped a three-year stint in the West End production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.