The sun might not be shining in Britain, but last night we saw the return of Love Island, which means summer has officially started. As expected, the first episode was packed with shock twists and meme-worthy moments, but there was also an emotional scene wedged in there too.

ICYMI, in the first episode model and dancer Tasha Ghouri entered the villa and, after getting to know everyone, she announced to her fellow contestants – and the millions of viewers at home – that she is deaf and uses a cochlear implant to help her hear. The heartwarming moment was well received by Love Island fans, with plenty taking to social media to praise the Islander for being so brave.

"This must have taken a lot of guts. Really liking her so far," one viewer said of the moment Tasha told the other Islanders that she is deaf. "Tasha the first deaf contestant on Love Island. We wanted diversity and we've got it," a second Love Island fan said on Twitter.

How does Tasha's cochlear implant help her hear?

To answer that question, let's first explain what a cochlear is. A cochlear is a hollow, spiral-shaped bone that sits in the inner ear, it is covered in tiny hairs that send messages to the brain.

So, what is a cochlear implant?

"Cochlear implants provide a sensation of hearing to those who have severe to profound deafness," the Royal National Institute for Deaf People explains. "Instead of making the sound louder, like a hearing aid, implants use electrical signals to directly stimulate the auditory nerve (the nerve that carries sound from the cochlea to the brain).

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"The idea is to provide access to the range of sounds that make up speech. Results vary depending on the individual, and range from an awareness of environmental sounds to hearing speech."

What that means is, although a cochlear implant does not cure deafness, it does help with hearing sounds. It's important to remember though that not every person who is deaf or hard of hearing will use an implant or hearing aid, as some people prefer to communicate using British Sign Language, or another sign language.

Anticipating any questions that viewers might have, Love Islander Tasha took to Instagram before her time in the villa to share some more information about how her cochlear implant – which she got at the age of five – works.

"I have a sensory loss which means the small hairs in the cochlear were missing and damaged when I was born. We still don't know why," she told her fans. "The implant has small fibre optics pushed into the cochlear to replace the missing hairs," Tasha added, explaining that these "send intelligent messages to the brain."

Pointing out the difference between a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, the Islander said: "Hearing aids simply amplify sound, but if the brain can't understand the noise it's just noise."

"When the outer piece of my device is taken off I cannot hear anything," she said of how the implant works. "I feel beats and vibrations. People sound a little robotic but my brain has adapted to it and I also rely on lip reading and body language."

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Jade Biggs
Freelance Writer
Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK's freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.