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Lucy Edwards

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

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

Early life

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Lucy Edwards
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers798k[1]
(February 2024)
Total views506 million[1]
(February 2024)
 100,000 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

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About lucyedwards". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ^ Crae, Ross (19 April 2024). "Presenter and author Lucy Edwards on new book Blind Not Broken". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  10. ^ Fraser, Katie (11 July 2024). "Scholastic signs 'game-changing' middle-grade adventure from blind broadcaster Lucy Edwards". The Bookseller. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ Mac Donnell, Chloe (23 July 2024). "'A positive step forward': Mattel launches first blind Barbie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ^ Pitcher, Laura (8 August 2024). "Lucy Edwards, the blind model on a mission to 'overhaul' the beauty world". Dazed. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  13. ^ Carty, Gabrielle (8 August 2024). "Glitter Magazine | Lucy Edwards Makes History at Copenhagen Fashion Week". glittermagazine.co. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  14. ^ "YesterdaysWishes". YouTube. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "TikTok Creator Spotlight: Lucy Edwards". TikTok. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ @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.
  20. ^ "lucyedwards TikTok Stats Summary Profile". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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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