Jessica Kellgren-Fozard

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (née Kellgren-Hayes; born 25 January 1989) is a British YouTuber and television personality. She is known for her videos on disability awareness, LGBT history, and vintage fashion. She began making YouTube videos in 2011 and has since gained over 900,000 subscribers.

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
Personal information
Born
Jessica Kellgren-Hayes

(1989-01-25) 25 January 1989
Camden, London, England
EducationUniversity of Brighton (BA)
Spouse
Claudia Fozard
​
(m. 2016)​
Children1
Parents
  • Derek W. Hayes (father)
  • Lee Kellgren (mother)
RelativesJonas Kellgren (grandfather)
Websitejessicaoutofthecloset.co.uk
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2011–present
Genre(s)LGBTQ+, disability, history, fashion, and lifestyle
Subscribers995,000[1]
Total views137 million[1]
Contents are inReceived Pronunciation[2]
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: 10th June 2023

Early life

Kellgren-Fozard was born in Camden, London and grew up in Bristol. Her mother, Lee Kellgren, is a dyslexic artist and printmaker, and her father, Derek W. Hayes, is an animator and director. She has one younger brother.[3] She is the granddaughter of Jonas Kellgren (1911–2002), the first professor of rheumatology in the UK at the University of Manchester. She is of Swedish, American, and Russian descent on her mother's side.[4][5]

Kellgren-Fozard is a Quaker and attended Sidcot School in Winscombe.[6][7] She finished her secondary school education at Cotham School at the age of 19. She initially pursued a local BTEC diploma in Art and Design.[3] She then studied at the University of Brighton, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Screen Studies.[8]

Career

Broadcasting

In 2008, she participated in the BBC Three reality television series Britain's Missing Top Model,[3] finishing in third place.

In 2014, she was on screen talent for Brighton-based LatestTV.[9] In 2015, she co-hosted LatestTV's movie review series such as PostFeature and Movie Line and interviewed filmmakers on FilmFest. In 2016, she hosted her own educational entertainment television show called Quintessentially Jessica.[10][11][12]

YouTube

Kellgren-Fozard's videos cover a range of topics including vintage fashion and beauty, disability issues, and LGBT issues and history.[13]

In 2019, she partnered with The School of Life for the YouTube Originals series "The School of..." on the YouTube Premium service, narrated by Alain de Botton where seven popular YouTube creators cover a philosophical topic important to them.[14] Jessica's episode is about the secrets of happiness.[15]

In December 2020, fellow YouTuber Daniel Howell selected Kellgren-Fozard to be featured on YouTube U.K.'s creator campaign The Rise, in which ten established YouTube personalities each highlighted a "rising star" of their choosing.[16]

Personal life

Kellgren-Fozard is deaf, which is caused by her disabilities: hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsy, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Her symptoms began appearing when she was a teenager.[17][18] She is also blind in one eye[19] and suffers from memory loss.[20] In a July 2023 video, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with ADHD.[21]

Kellgren-Fozard is a lesbian. She lives in Brighton with her wife, Claudia, a former dentist. They married at a Quaker meeting house in Bristol, in September 2016.[22] The couple announced on 1 January 2021 that Claudia was pregnant with their first child.[23] Their son, Rupert Henrik Kan Kellgren-Fozard, was born on 4 June that same year. Kellgren-Fozard has been vocal about her Montessori parenting of Rupert, making videos about it on her channel.

Awards and nominations

Kellgren-Fozard was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Worcester in 2018 after being nominated by students for her work in disability awareness.[24][25]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2019 Diva Awards Rising Star of the Year Nominated [26]
Blogosphere Awards Vlogger of the Year Won [27]
2020 National Diversity Awards Positive Role Model Award – LGBT Nominated [28]
2021 British LGBT Awards Online Influencer Won [29]

References
  1. "About Jessica Kellgren-Fozard". YouTube.
  2. Why I Have A British Accent [CC]. Event occurs at 04:19. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  3. "Meet the Models: Jessica Kellgren-Hayes". BBC. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  4. "Decorating the Swedish Easter Tree + Easter Egg Challenge with my wife!". Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  5. "Jonas Henrik Kellgren 1911–2002". Oxford Academic. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  6. "YouTube star Jessica Kellgren-Fozard on her Quakerism". 20 July 2018.
  7. "Young Quaker sets equality agenda in new TV show". The Friend. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  8. "Portrait of Brighton". University of Brighton 25th Anniversary Alumni Magazine. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  9. "Dinosaurs come to Brighton's Royal Pavilion Gardens". Latest TV. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  10. "Latest TV: Who is Quintessentially Jessica?". LatestBrighton. Brighton: Latest TV. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  11. "Quintessentially Jessica - BSL Promo". Brighton: Latest TV. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  12. "At Work: Behind the Scenes at a TV Station". YouTube. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  13. "This woman created an enlightening video on how to sign LGBTQ+ terms for Pride". inews.co.uk. 13 June 2018.
  14. Clarke, Hannah Marie (3 October 2019). "Jessica Kellgren-Fozard Announces Role In New YouTube Originals Series". Ten Eighty Magazine. Teneighty Digital Ltd. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  15. Petter, Olivia (10 October 2019). "YouTuber with physical disabilities shares her secrets to happiness". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  16. "'The Rise': YouTube UK celebrates the talent fuelling the British creative industry". blog.youtube. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  17. "Meet Jessica Kellgren-Fozard: Brighton's rising YouTube star who is representing the deaf, disabled and LGBTQ+ communities". The Argus. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  18. Glynn, Paul (10 October 2019). "YouTuber highlights 'the importance of kindness'". BBC News. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  19. How I Became Visually Impaired... [CC], retrieved 23 October 2023
  20. The Truth About Memory Loss [CC], retrieved 23 October 2023
  21. Kellgren-Fozard, Jessica (5 July 2023). Coming out...again. Retrieved 5 July 2023 – via YouTube.
  22. "WCW featuring JessicaOutOfTheCloset!". Collectif Blog. 26 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  23. Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (1 January 2021). "Surprise! My Christmas wish came true! There is a mini Kellgren-Fozard due 11th June 2021!". Retrieved 1 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  24. "YouTuber Jessica Kellgren-Fozard receives honorary doctorate in Philosophy". The Argus. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  25. Masters, Kirsten (19 November 2018). "Jessica Kellgren-Fozard Receives Honorary Doctorate". TenEighty. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  26. "This year's shortlist has been announced – who will you vote for?". Diva Mag. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  27. "The Winner – Blogosphere Awards 2019". Blogosphere. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  28. National Diversity Awards (28 February 2020). "Congratulations to you @JessicaOOTC - You have been nominated for the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT at The National Diversity Awards 2020 in association with @itvnews!!". Retrieved 19 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  29. Welsh, Daniel (19 April 2021). "It's A Sin, RuPaul's Drag Race And Phillip Schofield Receive Nods At British LGBT Awards". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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