’s Tasha Ghouri has revealed she ‘was ready to walk out’ after Dami Hope and Luca Bish’s controversial comments during the Snog, Marry, Pie challenge.
Tasha, who finished fourth in this year’s series alongside , said she felt ‘backed into a corner’.
The behaviour of Luca, 23, and Dami, 26, towards Tasha, the first deaf contestant in the ITV show’s history, caused over .
Luca and Dami were both accused by fans of ‘bullying’ Tasha during the game. And speaking to , Tasha has explained how she felt afterwards.
‘It was a lot – I felt backed into a corner. It’s such an intense environment and hard to escape. You’re stuck in there together. I was ready to walk out,’ she said.
She continued: ‘A lot had happened in the space of three days and a lot of it was targeted at me. I was upset.
‘I did kind of walk out. I said [to the show’s producers]: “I’ve had enough” and Andrew said: “I’m gonna go with you.”‘
However, Tasha went on to say that the boys then apologised and she didn’t want to spend the last weeks in the villa in a negative way.
She added that she forgives but doesn’t forget.
Tasha came close to exiting the villa after Luca and Dami appeared to target her during several challenges, culminating in the Snog, Marry, Pie fiasco.
Fellow contestant Gemma Owen’s mum Louise even called the behaviour ‘bullying’.
The boys did apologise to Tasha shortly afterwards, but it appears the damage had already been done.
TV regulator Ofcom received in total about the series this summer – particularly about some of the boys’ behaviour.
The huge number of complaints has resulted in ITV bosses confirming in a statement that Love Island will be ‘reviewed’ before it moves forward.
Prior to the season eight debut, ITV published its , explaining that ‘extensive welfare measures remain in place to provide support to programme participants before, during and after filming’.
‘Ahead of this series, contributors on the show will be offered video training and guidance covering inclusive language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, behaviours and microaggressions,’ the broadcaster said.
The welfare services offered to the contestants includes ‘comprehensive psychological support’, training on ‘handling potential negativity’ on social media and a ‘proactive aftercare package’.
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Dami Hope, Luca Bish and ITV for comment.
