Tasha Ghouri almost quit Strictly tour as co-star dating rumours left her in 'bad place'

Strictly Come Dancing star Tasha Ghouri has opened up about her recent split from Andrew Le Page, admitting that it left her in "a bad place".

After crossing paths for the first time in 2022 when they were both cast in the eighth edition of ITV's Love Island, fans watched on as the pair gradually grew closer before going on to profess their love for each other.

While they didn't come out victorious after finishing in fourth place, unlike many of the show's romances that tend to come to an end after the culmination of the series, Tasha and Andrew would continue to see their relationship blossom after leaving the show.

 

However, earlier this year it was revealed that the pair had parted ways, and now, during a chat with Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast, Tasha has opened up on the emotional impact of the shocking news becoming public.

She said: "When the breakup happened, it actually kind of happened around the tour. I just remember pushing it to the back of my head. I didn't really deal with it that well, if I'm honest. When I was on the tour, the first week it kind of got leaked to the press."

She added: "I didn't have the control of how it happened. I remember it was just everywhere."

 

As Kate continued to unpick the Strictly star's emotions, she asked whether it felt like there was "no going back" on their relationship when "everybody knows". Tasha said: "And especially when it involves public opinions, they kind of create a narrative and that's what serves them best."

One particular "narrative" that had started to circulate was that she had started dating her Strictly co-star Jamie Borthwick, but she has seemingly now cleared that up, adding: "And I felt like there was all these narratives happening. Like, the press started making it out like me and Jamie were dating, that was not the case at all. I just felt like I had no voice."

 

Tasha went on to add: "I just remember after rehearsals, we were in Birmingham, I’d go to the hotel bar and it sounds really bad, but I literally was drinking wine to make me feel numb. I didn't want to feel emotion. I was just in a really bad place that week. A really, really bad place. I was kind of close to leaving the tour."

However, on a more positive note, away from sharing details of her break-up, Tasha revealed how grateful she was to have the opportunity to compete on the BBC show, admitting that when the chance arose, she simply said "absolutely, I would love to".

 

Making a success of her time on the show, she managed to make it all the way to the final alongside her dance partner, Aljaž Škorjanec.

But, it wasn't meant to be after they were pipped to the top spot as Dianne Buswell and stand-up comedian, Chris McCausland managed to walk away with the Glitterball trophy in December's final.