Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri was reportedly subjected to a campaign of abuse from viscous trolls ahead of finding fame in the villa.
The 23-year-old model, who is the show’s first deaf contestant, had been the target of bullies since she was 14 years old, with online abusers said to have called her and her friends ‘fat’ while also issuing them with death threats.
Tasha, who was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant, was targeted via anonymous messages on website ask.fm, reports The Sun.
Shocking: Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri was reportedly subjected to a campaign of abuse from viscous trolls ahead of finding fame in the villa
The publication states that an unearthed clip from BBC News in 2012 sees Tasha’s dad Tarek open up on his daughter’s online abuse, with the concerned father shocked by the cruel comments.
He said: ‘My daughter was being abused online. I researched it and was horrified to see ask.fm allowed anonymous posts. I felt compelled to do something.
‘I raised awareness with the school because even though it happens out of school the impact happens in school.’
Ordeal: The 23-year-old model, who is the show’s first deaf contestant, had been the target of bullies since she was 14 years old, with online abusers said to have called her and her friends ‘fat’ while also issuing them with death threats
Meanwhile, Tasha added: ‘Some of the comments were, ‘go and get cancer, you don’t belong here, go and die, go and hang yourself, you’re flat chested, your family’s ugly’. It’s horrible things.’
She went on to say that one of her pals who was also being bullied had gone ‘very quiet’ and was ‘very upset’ as they had ‘no idea how to handle it’.
MailOnline have contacted representatives of Love Island for comment.
Elsewhere, during the first episode of Love Island, Tasha bravely decided to open up about her deafness to her fellow islanders as she spoke about her ‘superpower’.
Gathering them around, she said: ‘I wanted to get everyone together, I wanted to find the right time to do this and this is perfect timing, but basically I was born completely deaf and I wear a cochlear implant in my right ear.
So cruel: Tasha, who was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant, was targeted via anonymous messages on website ask.fm
Disgusting: Tasha said: ‘Some of the comments were, ‘go and get cancer, you don’t belong here, go and die, go and hang yourself, you’re flat chested, your family’s ugly. It’s horrible things’
‘It’s just something cool that I’ve got about myself, it doesn’t define me, it’s just a part of who I am.’
The dancer went on to add: ‘I call it my superpower.’
After hearing Tasha’s story, her co-stars responded positively, with Luca Bish saying: ‘Literally, I would not have had a clue, and to say it in front of a bunch of people who you’ve never kind of even met or know… credit to her.’
While Indiyah Polack added: ‘She was so open about it, and I could see in her face that was a big thing for her.
‘I just honestly wanted to give her a big hug because I just wanted her to know that she’s not alone and we’re all here to support her no matter what she’s going through and we all love her.’
Honest: Elsewhere, during the first episode of Love Island, Tasha bravely decided to open up about her deafness to her fellow islanders as she spoke about her ‘superpower’
Supportive: After hearing Tasha’s story, her co-stars responded positively, with Luca Bish saying: ‘Literally, I would not have had a clue, and to say it in front of a bunch of people who you’ve never kind of even met or know… credit to her’
It comes as the series kicked off with a dramatic twist as viewers were given the chance to vote for this year’s first couples for the first time, but romances have already been put to the test with the arrival of hunky bombshell Davide Sanclimenti.
While the couples were mere hours into getting to know one another, the Islanders learned that one boy would be left vulnerable as Davide chose which one he’d like to be paired up with
Love Island continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.
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