Tasha Ghouri issues statement as she finally addresses BBC Strictly loss 24 hours after Chris McCausland victory
After a memorable 20th year, Strictly Come Dancing wrapped up its latest series on Saturday night.
As comedian Chris McCausland and dance professional Dianne Buswell were crowned winners, three other couples also celebrated by his side as they became this year’s runners-up – among them, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec.
Ghouri, 26, graciously applauded McCausland’s impressive victory as she cheered along when he was declared the winner.
On Sunday evening after taking the day to reflect and recover from Saturday’s extravaganza, the former Love Island star shared a string of snaps from her time on Strictly along with a lengthy and heartfelt message.
She began: “@bbcstrictly after 13 weeks thank you.. when I say doing this show has just been so magical I can’t even put it into words & surprising me with my brother flying in from Australia!!!
“This was extra special having him there watching the final, thank you so much @iamtheo for making this happen.”
Turning her attention to Skorjanec, she gushed: “@aljazskorjanec you made magical beautiful dances that’ll be remembered for a long time from our American smooth, waltz, show dance and many more.
“Everyday we laughed & smiled, you are what strictly is about – your passion and positivity radiates from within on this show.
“I can’t thank you enough from the bottom of my heart, you made my experience so magical. And we made history!!! What a moment.”
Among the abundance of emotional moments that made up the show finale this weekend, one involved Ghouri as she was stunned to be greeted by her brother, who lives in Australia and had been brought onto the show to support her as a surprise.
The social media statement continued: “I have to give a huge shoutout to @arduinobertoncello for our show dance, thank you so much for making the show dance EPIC! you really helped me bring out my inner ginger & doing this style I LOVED IT!!!”
Addressing her younger self, something Ghouri has referred to a few times during her Strictly journey as she shared insight into what it had been like to grow up deaf, she wrote on: “To my younger Tasha.. we did it.
“We lived a dream we dreamt of for a long long time. We never gave up believing and chasing that dream.
“We danced every week with a smile on our face, we danced with our heart and never gave up.
“We did have a journey on this show but that’s what made it beautiful. I’m proud of us!
“I hope this sends a message to you all to keep going, never give up & anything is possible.”
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Ghouri ended her comprehensive message by throwing her support behind McCausland, who himself made history by being the first blind contestant on the show.
After reflecting on how much the comedian “deserved” the win, Ghouri added: “Since day one you have shown you are unstoppable, your partnership with @diannebuswell has just been a joy, Dianne what a woman you are, you both are winners!”
She then acknowledged her fellow finalists and thanked the judges and behind-the-scenes show specialists.
“Now I need to sleep, enjoy Christmas and I’ll be back for @strictlycomedancinglive,” she signed off. (sic)