Lucy Edwards

Lucy Edwards is a British social media influencer, disability activist, and journalist.

Lucy Edwards
Years active2015–present
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.8M
Likes51.3M
Last updated: June 15, 2023
Websitehttps://www.lucyedwards.com

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.[1][2][3][4] Before completely losing her sight, she was interested in becoming a lawyer.[5]

Career

Edwards trained to become a BBC journalist through the programme Extending Digital News.[1] She has written for the BBC on her experiences as a blind traveller, and has also worked with on the Ouch and in Touch radio programs.[2][6] In 2019 she became BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter.[7][8] In May 2023, and ahead of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, she launched Eurovision Described on BBC Sounds, a podcast including audio description of proceedings for blind and partially sighted Eurovision fans. Edwards presented the podcast alongside Abi Clarke.[9]

She has also written for British Vogue[5] and CN Traveller.[10]

Edwards has spoken out about inaccessibility, such as the lack of audio description for many television programs, films, and theaters, and inaccessible website design,[3] and has promoted businesses whose locations are accessible.[10]

In 2021 she was named a Pantene ambassador.[1] She has also appeared in L'Oreal advertisements.[3]

Social media presence

Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes.[4][11] Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials.[6][12]

In 2019 Edwards appeared on Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire.[6][13]

She began posting on TikTok towards the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of her videos going viral.[1][14][15] Many of her videos focus on her daily life as a blind person.[3][16] In May 2020 she was featured as part of TikTok's Creator Spotlight, and in December she was included in the 2020 TikTok 100.[17][18]

Personal life

Edwards lives in Birmingham with her former guide dog, Olga, current guide dog, Molly, and her husband, Ollie.[2][5][7][19] She has a sister named Alice.[11]

She uses apps such as Be My Eyes (for which she is a paid ambassador) in her daily life.[19]

References
  1. Sappington, Shayna (29 June 2022). "'I had to learn how to be myself again': Lucy Edwards on going blind at 17". IMAGE.ie. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  2. Edwards, Lucy (5 November 2022). "'I'm blind, but loved going on a must-see safari'". BBC News. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  3. Deibe, Izzie (5 September 2022). "Blind Presenter Lucy Edwards Calls Out Entertainment Industry: "It's Time to Do Better"". uk.style.yahoo.com. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. Riley, Cindy (30 November 2022). "Lucy Edwards Is Blind But Not Broken". Future of Personal Health. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. Edwards, Lucy (17 May 2023). ""It's Given Me A Fire And A Purpose": Lucy Edwards On Being "Blind, Not Broken"". British Vogue. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  6. "Blind Vlogger Lucy Edwards On Being Herself And Making A Difference". Disability Horizons. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  7. "Radio 1's first blind presenter 'excited to represent disabled community'". BBC News. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. Duerden, Nick (26 December 2019). "Radio 1's first blind presenter: 'I'm proud of who I am, I like being blind'". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  9. Omar, Rakeem (10 May 2023). "Blind presenter Lucy Edwards hosts Eurovision description show". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. "Lucy Edwards' favourite restaurants with guide dog access in London". CN Traveller. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  11. Malone, Ailbhe (11 May 2015). "This Is How You Do Your Make-Up When You're Blind". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  12. Cardellino, Carly (12 May 2015). "Watch This Inspiring Video of Blind Beauty Vlogger Lucy Edwards Applying Makeup". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. Say Yes to the Dress (30 March 2019). "Gok Helps Blind Bride Lucy Find Her Confidence | Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire". YouTube. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  14. "Blind TikTok star Lucy Edwards says reaction to candle video 'crazy'". BBC News. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  15. Torres, Krista (16 October 2020). "A Blind Woman Is Going Viral For Showing How She Does Everyday Tasks". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  16. Winter, Lottie (5 October 2021). ""Going blind has excluded me from the beauty industry in ways but it's also given me a clearer idea of what beauty really means"". Glamour UK. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. "TikTok Creator Spotlight: Lucy Edwards". Newsroom | TikTok. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  18. "Introducing The TikTok 100 – our 2020 Year in Review". Newsroom | TikTok. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  19. Visram, Talib (29 March 2023). "'When does this milk expire?': Chat GPT-4 is now helping blind people navigate everyday tasks". Fast Company. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
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