Wikipedia

Lucy Edwards

Lucy Edwards-Cave (born 1995 or 1996) is an English influencer, disability activist, and journalist.

Lucy Edwards
Years active2015–present
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.8M
Likes57.6M
Last updated: 30 December 2024
Websitewww.lucyedwards.com

Early life

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Lucy Edwards
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers807k[1]
(December 2024)
Total views543 million[1]
(December 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 the first blind model to participate in the event.[12][13]

In October 2024, Edwards was one of three winners of The Estée Lauder Companies' The Catalysts program. She aims to use the award's funding and mentorship to establish Etia London, an intentionally-accessible beauty brand.[14]

Social media presence

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Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes).[15] Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials.[16][17]

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.[18][19] In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council.[20] By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers.[21]

Personal life

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Edwards lives in Birmingham with her former guide dog (Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie.[22] 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.[23] In late 2024, Edwards announced she would be undergoing IVF with her husband; all potential embryos would be screened for incontinentia pigmenti, as the disorder causes severe brain damage in boys. She noted this decision was not out of desire to avoid blindness itself, saying "If I was told I was going to have a baby exactly like me, who would be blind but able to thrive and have an amazing life as a disabled person, I would conceive without any worry".[24]

Awards and recognition

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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). "Lucy Edwards Makes History at Copenhagen Fashion Week". Glitter Magazine. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b "The Estée Lauder Companies' NIV and TikTok Announce the Winners of The Catalysts Program". BusinessWire. 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ "YesterdaysWishes". YouTube. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "TikTok Creator Spotlight: Lucy Edwards". TikTok. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ @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.
  21. ^ "lucyedwards TikTok Stats Summary Profile". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "'I'm a blind woman - this is how I'm preparing for IVF'". Women's Health. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Birmingham journalist Lucy Edwards shortlisted for national disability award". BirminghamWorld. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
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