TIME OF HER LIFE
Tasha Ghouri breaks her silence after missing out on Strictly win in nail-biting final
TASHA Ghouri has broken her silence after she narrowly missed out on winning Strictly last night.
Comedian Chris McCausland made history as the first ever blind contestant to take part in and win the BBC dance show.
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The 47-year-old beat fellow finalists Love Island star Tasha, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and and JLS singer JB Gill in the final, which has been branded the 'most emotional' of all time.
Love Island star Tasha, 25, took to social media to share photos from her Strictly journey.
Tasha was born without hearing and has had a cochlear implant since she was five years old, making her only the second deaf person to have appeared on Strictly.
The reality star was left in floods of happy tears as her brother, who lives in Australia, surprised her in person on the live final.
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Tasha described the process as "magical" and said praised her pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec for getting her so far.
She wrote alongside the post: "Strictly 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 for making this happen.
"Alijaz 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.
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"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!!!"
Tasha then reflected on the last 13 weeks on the show and said she was overwhelmed with how much she had achieved - as she reminded others to dream big.
Strictly chaos as Tasha Ghouri struggles with technical difficulties as final kicks off
She went on to say: "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."
The influencer shared an emotional message for Strictly winner Chris McCausland - saying he was "unstoppable".
She added: "And I have to say Chris McCausland you deserve to lift that trophy so much, since day one you have shown you are unstoppable, your partnership with Dianne Buswell has just been a joy, Dianne what a woman you are, you both are winners!
"JB Gill and Sarah Hadland I’m so proud of you all what an incredible final of people to be a part of.
"Biggest love to the judges who have supported my journey on the show thank you, the incredible hosts.
"Now I need to sleep, enjoy Christmas and I’ll be back for Strictly Come Dancing Live."
Chris and Dianne performed three routines last night.
Some fans were divided on the results and said Tasha should have won because she was "technically" better.
One wrote: "Such a shame people vote for their favourite celebrity, not the best dancer. It’s been clear from day one who would win, simply based on who they are, not how they dance."
A second said: "Chris was amazing but Tasha was technically better."
A third echoed: "Was there any point watching final? I mean it was a guarantee that Chris was going to win the glitterball no matter if someone is better on the night tbh feel bit sorry for the rest of the celebs for even trying."
This person shared: "Chris is the weakest of the 4 finalists. But he is the most deserving winner."
Speaking after his win, a shocked Chris said: "It’s astonishing. I don’t know what to say.
"I honestly thought I could go out in the first week or two. We have just lasted and lasted.
He thanked his partner Dianne and said: "She's positivity, she's belief, and she's honestly just one of the easiest people to be funny with.
"She deserves this so much. She's just honestly one of the easiest people to be funny with the other and unless she changes her number, she's stuck with me.
On winning the glitterball, he said: "This is for her (Dianne) and it's for everyone out there that thought and got told they couldn't do something.
"It just shows with opportunity and support and determination anything can happen."
It is the first time Dianne, who joined the show in 2017, has won Strictly.
She said: "It's pretty cool.
"Chris says that this is for me, but it's not for me - this is for me and you, Chris. We did this together.
";This is for both of us, not just me, we worked together and we did it."
After months of dancing, Chris was praised for his routines - which included the couple's favourite dance, their final show dance and the routine best enjoyed by the judges.
He was given his first perfect score of 40 points for a waltz routine to You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, his final dance of the series.
Dianne, Chris and the judges all wept after the incredible performance.
Chris' second routine featured different dance styles to You Get What You Give by New Radicals, and he also recreated his viral "blackout moment" for the first dance.
In the couple's choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon, Chris placed his hands over Dianne's eyes as the room faded to black, before the ballroom went completely dark and then the light came back on - with pyrotechnics flaring in the background.
Ahead of the final, Chris admitted: "I feel like we've never stayed in the competition above anybody that got higher scores than us, so it feels like we've exceeded expectations and got here on our own merits, so we've succeeded above and beyond what we expected of ourselves."
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Reflecting back on his journey, the comic described it as "unbelievable, surprising and emotional" and feels he has learnt a lot about himself.
"The fact that we've been able to do it, the fact that we've been able to pull this off, the fact we've been able to learn the dances and put on a show... It's all surprising", he added.
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