Strictly Come Dancing pair Aljaz Skorjanec and Tasha Ghouri wowed fans and the judges on Saturday night as they performed a moving Couple's Choice.
Reflecting on the response to the routine, which Ghouri, 26, made clear was to help people whose voices aren't heard, professional dancer Skorjanec admitted the routine had been "out of my comfort zone".
In an emotional performance, the Love Island star and her professional partner performed to Pink's What About Us, with the reality star detailing her emotional connection to the powerful song.
"This is a song about being unheard," she explained, adding: "I was born completely deaf in both ears and my parents found out when I was 12 months old," she explained in a VT which aired ahead of their dance on Saturday night.
Reflecting on her 2022 Love Island stint and the vile, ableist comments she witnessed about herself following her appearance, she recalled: "Two years ago I went on a reality TV show.
"I was the first contestant with a cochlear implant. I wanted to be a contestant who had a disability but could still find love.
Aljaz Skorjanec admitted his BBC Strictly Couple's Choice had been out of his comfort zone
BBC
"My dad told me there was a lot of stuff written about me on social media. There were things written about about my voice, the way I speak."
Becoming tearful, the 26-year-old continued: "It made me hit rock bottom. I feel like I've not just failed myself but the whole deaf community."
The pair opened up about the performance, which saw them achieve a near-perfect score of 39, on Tuesday.
"I was very nervous, I think because I was sharing such a vulnerable part of myself, especially with the VT, my family were in it," Ghouri recalled.
Explaining how significant it had been, she continued: "And it was such a moment for me not only to share my story but other peoples'stories, and just to really make a conversation happen.
"And it really had such a positive impact and the reaction's been incredible. I was so nervous to do it before because I wanted to do so well."
Tasha Ghouri became emotional as she detailed the impact social media trolling had taken on her
BBC
"I wanted to do it well for young Tashas, anyone out there with any kind of disability - just to reach out with them and connect with them," she added to Alex Scott and Anita Rani on BBC's The One Show.
"You absolutely did that, you smashed it," Scott applauded her.
The host then turned her attention to the professional, who returned this year after a three-year hiatus from Strictly.
"Aljaz, the last time you were on the show we were announcing your return to Strictly!" she recalled.
"I feel like you've never been away, seeing you on this series. It's been great having you back on the show."
She probed: "In terms of the reaction to the performance on the weekend, how have you found it?"
"I mean it's special," the 34-year-old replied, continuing: "You know, every week you go on that floor and you try to perfect your routine, your technique, you try to find the right song.
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Aljaz Skorjanec and Tasha Ghouri performed a Couple's Choice routine to Pink on last week's BBC Strictly
BBC
"And you kind of have those moments on Strictly very, very rarely.
"It's a special thing being a part of it but doing that one specifically for me, I've never done lyrical or contemporary before in my life."
Making a surprising admission, he added: "I felt so out of my own comfort zone and I felt it only worked because we did it together, the way we did it.
"We were there, each others' support. Normally I'm the pro being the support for my celebrity, so it was a really interesting feeling being in it."
