Lucy Edwards
Years active2015–present
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.8M
Likes53.9M
Last updated: 4 January, 2023
Websitehttps://www.lucyedwards.com

Lucy Edwards is an English influencer, disability activist, and journalist.

Early life

Edwards lost sight in her right eye at age 11 due to incontinentia pigmenti, a genetic condition; she lost her remaining eyesight at age 17. She completed her A-Levels at college,[1] and dropped out of law school due to her mental health.[2]

Career

After choosing not to pursue law school further, she trained to become a journalist at the BBC through their Extend programme.[2] In 2019, she became BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter.[3]

In 2021, she was named as a brand ambassador for Pantene.[4] In September 2022, she campaigned for accessibility in the entertainment industry, speaking out on the lack of audio description for television shows, films, and theatres, as well as inaccessible website design.[5]

In May 2023, ahead of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, she launched a podcast for partially-sighted and blind Eurovision fans on BBC Sounds titled Eurovision Described, which was co-hosted by Abi Clarke and provided audio descriptions of the proceedings.[3] Five months later, in October, she traveled to Japan to film content for BBC's The Travel Show.[6] In December, she featured on a charity cover of Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", forming part of influencer supergroup Creator Universe to raise money for food bank charity The Trussell Trust.[7]

Social media presence

Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes).[8] Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials.[9][10]

In 2019, Edwards appeared on Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire. She began posting on TikTok towards the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of her videos going viral. In 2020, she was featured in TikTok's Creator Spotlight campaign, and their 2020 TikTok 100.[11][12] In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council.[13] By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers.[14]

Personal life

Edwards lives in Birmingham with her former guide dog (Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie.[15] The couple began dating when she was 17; she lost her remaining eyesight two months into their relationship.[1] At their wedding in 2023, Edwards had her guests and husband put on blindfolds during her walk down the aisle.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 Bletchly, Rachel (29 July 2015). "I lost my sight at 17 and now want to help blind people find love". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Edwards, Lucy (17 May 2023). ""It's Given Me A Fire And A Purpose": Lucy Edwards On Being "Blind, Not Broken"". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Omar, Rakeem (10 May 2023). "Blind presenter Lucy Edwards hosts Eurovision description show". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Winter, Lottie (5 October 2021). "'Going blind has excluded me from the beauty industry in some ways, but it's also given me a clearer idea of what beauty really means'". Glamour. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Deibe, Izzie (6 September 2022). "Blind Presenter Lucy Edwards Calls Out Entertainment Industry: "It's Time to Do Better"". PopSugar. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  6. ↑ The Travel Show (21 October 2023). "Japan's ancient art of taiko drumming". BBC Travel. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Annett, Jackie (22 December 2023). "Who are Creator Universe as they vie for Xmas number one against Pogues and Wham". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "YesterdaysWishes". YouTube. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Wallwork, Ellen (14 May 2015). "Blind Beauty Vlogger YesterdaysWishes Demos How To Apply Make-Up Without A Mirror". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  10. ↑ March, Bridget (13 May 2015). "The blind beauty blogger we can learn LOADS from". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "TikTok Creator Spotlight: Lucy Edwards". TikTok. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Waterworth, Rich (2 December 2020). "Introducing The TikTok 100 - our 2020 Year in Review". TikTok. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024. (Image) Voices of Change: @lucyedwardsblind, 794K.
  13. ↑ @lucyedwards (26 March 2021). "I'm part of the first ever at @TikTok creator council!! I can't wait to talk to the team and be a voice of change in the community👩‍🦯❤️Introducing the first UK Creator Council" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 March 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "lucyedwards TikTok Stats Summary Profile". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Visram, Talib (29 March 2023). "'When does this milk expire?': Chat GPT-4 is now helping blind people navigate everyday tasks". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Miller, Brittanny (23 September 2023). "Bride who lost sight as a teenager has wedding guests 'live a moment in her shoes' with blindfolds". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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