Strictly Come Dancing's Tasha Ghouri 'doubted her place on show' after backlash

Influencer Tasha Ghouri has faced a lot of criticism in her Strictly Come Dancing run, with some viewers complaining that she has an unfair advantage over the other celebrities because she’s already had some dance training and she’s being “overmarked.”

She told Closer Magazine: There was a lot of noise after we did the Charleston and I started feeling like, 'Do I even deserve to be here?’”

The Strictly star added that she had a “heart to heart” with professional dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec and he reassured her that she did deserve to be on the show, telling her: “We're in this together.”

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Tasha says her dance background doesn’t give her the advantage that her detractors imagine. She told Kiss FM in August: "I've not danced for quite a few years - since Love Island, my career is so different. It's such a different dance style, I may actually not be good at it, like ballet - I'm not good at ballet. I'm trained in commercial street style. It's going to be very hard but I'm excited for a challenge."

Tasha says she’s toughened up over the past 11 weeks, and the endless rehearsals have improved her physical strength as well: "My stamina is definitely I better.

“I couldn't even get through the Cha Cha in the first week — after doing one run-through, I was literally struggling and sweaty."

Tasha added: “I definitely have got a lot fitter. It really is amazing how your body can just transition. It's only been a few weeks, but it's an everyday process.”

The gruelling dance training has had an inevitable impact on the former Love Islander’s figure, but she says she’s very comfortable in her own skin: “I haven't always been body confident growing up, but I am happy with where I am and my image now.

“But I love takeaways,” she added. “I love having Domino's. I love having a curry, so I'm not massively conscious about my body image. I love every part of it.”

Tasha and Aljaz are down to the final six couples in the latest series of Strictly. They dance again tonight (Saturday, November 30) at 7.05pm on BBC One.