Lucy Edwards

Last updated

Lucy Edwards
Years active2015–present
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.8M
Likes53.9M

Last updated: 4 January, 2023
Website https://www.lucyedwards.com

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

Contents

Early life

Lucy Edwards
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers798k [1]
(February 2024)
Total views506 million [1]
(February 2024)
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers

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, [2] and dropped out of law school due to her mental health. [3]

Career

After choosing not to pursue law school further, she trained to become a journalist at the BBC through their Extend programme. [3] In 2019, she became BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter. [4]

In 2021, she was named as a brand ambassador for Pantene. [5] 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. [6]

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. [4] Five months later, in October, she traveled to Japan to film content for BBC's The Travel Show. [7] 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. [8]

In April 2024, Edwards released a memoir, Blind Not Broken. [9] In July, she signed a book deal with Scholastic for Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer, a middle-grade novel centering a blind protagonist. [10] That same month, Edwards appeared in Mattel's campaign surrounding their first blind Barbie. [11] In August, she modelled for Sinéad O’Dwyer's catwalk as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week, accompanied by her guide dog. This made her both the first blind model to participate in the event. [12] [13]

Social media presence

Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes). [14] Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials. [15] [16]

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. [17] [18] In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council. [19] By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers. [20]

Personal life

Edwards lives in Birmingham with her former guide dog (Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie. [21] The couple began dating when she was 17; she lost her remaining eyesight two months into their relationship. [2] At their wedding in 2023, Edwards had her guests and husband put on blindfolds during her walk down the aisle. [22]

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References

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