Tasha Ghouri sends clear Giovanni Pernice message after romantic split ahead of BBC Strictly stint

Former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, who is taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, has shared her thoughts on ex Giovanni Pernice in light of the controversy surrounding his exit from the show.

Ghouri, 26, briefly dated Pernice, 34, but insisted the relationship was “ancient history” before making her feelings clear on the BBC show scandal he has been at the centre of.

It was confirmed last month that model and dancer Ghouri would be joining the competition series, which is returning to screens this month.

Her sign-up comes the same year Pernice has found himself making headlines for reported “misconduct” on the show following complaints from his actress partner of last year, Amanda Abbington.

The former Sherlock star made claims against the Italian choreographer after she decided to pull out of the show in week five of the last series.

Abbington accused Pernice of “abusive” behaviour, which he has vehemently denied. It was confirmed Pernice wouldn’t be re-joining his fellow professional dancers after a BBC probe into the show was conducted, and his co-star Graziano Di Prima, 30, was later axed as a result of the investigation.

Ghouri is now happily in a relationship with Love Island co-star Andrew Le Page, and when asked about the Strictly scandal she replied: “I wasn’t there – I’m here for my own experience on the show, so I’m focusing on myself to just really enjoy it.”

She continued: “I’ve met up with him a few times, but that was years ago. We are not in touch now, this is like ancient history.

“I’m so happy with Andrew, and he’s my future, so I don’t want to talk about the past. It’s not my place to comment on [the allegations against Giovanni]. I’m here for my own experiences. I’m here just for me,” she concluded.

Ghouri, who was born deaf, was inspired to take part in the show following deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis’ win in 2021.

The former EastEnders star took part in the show alongside Pernice and the pair went on to life the famous Glitterball Trophy.

Ghouri explained Ayling-Ellis had “reached out with some great advice” ahead of her Strictly debut.

While the model seems keen to head to the dancefloor, her sign-up was also the cause of some controversy as some fans of the show argued Ghouri is a trained dancer, meaning she has an “unfair advantage” over the other celebrity contestants.

According to Move It Dance, Ghouri worked as a self-employed dancer behind a bar. She has also appeared in music videos and has in the past suggested that filming for Love Island had obstructed her filming for the 2023 film Barbie, which she had auditioned for as a dancer.

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Move It Dance also goes on to say the TV personality graduated from Creative Academy and has “excelled in various dance contracts”.

On her signing to Strictly last month, an excited Ghouri stated: “Pinch me, I can’t believe I’m going to be on Strictly Come Dancing!

“I’ve been watching the show since I was little – it’s a firm Ghouri family favourite – so this is a total dream come true.

“I know it’s going to be an unforgettable experience and I hope to represent and make everyone proud out on that dancefloor.”