Lucy Edwards

{{Short description|British social media influencer, disability activist and journalist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Lucy Edwards

| years_active = 2015–present

| website = {{URL|https://www.lucyedwards.com}}

| module = {{Infobox TikTok personality|embed=yes|name=Lucy Edwards|followers=1.8 million|likes=57.6 million|page_display_name=British blind girl 👁🦮👩‍🦯|page=lucyedwards}}

| module2 = {{Infobox YouTube personality|embed=yes

| channel_display_name = Lucy Edwards

| channel_handle = lucyedwards

| subscribers = 807 thousand

| views = 543 million

| stats_update = December 2024

| silver_button = yes

}}

Lucy Edwards-Cave (born 18th December 1995) is an English influencer, disability activist, and journalist.

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. She completed her A-levels at college,{{cite news |last1=Bletchly |first1=Rachel |title=I lost my sight at 17 and now want to help blind people find love |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/lost-sight-17-now-want-6161054 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=Daily Mirror |date=29 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801010404/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/lost-sight-17-now-want-6161054 |archive-date=1 August 2015}} and dropped out of law school due to her mental health.{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Lucy |title="It's Given Me A Fire And A Purpose": Lucy Edwards On Being "Blind, Not Broken" |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/lucy-edwards-essay |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=British Vogue |date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518023235/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/lucy-edwards-essay |archive-date=18 May 2023}}

Career

After choosing not to pursue law school further, she trained to become a journalist at the BBC through their Extend programme. In 2019, she became BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter.{{cite news |last1=Omar |first1=Rakeem |title=Blind presenter Lucy Edwards hosts Eurovision description show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65544410 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=BBC |date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510151833/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65544410 |archive-date=10 May 2023}}

In 2021, she was named as a brand ambassador for Pantene.{{cite news |last1=Winter |first1=Lottie |title='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' |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lucy-edwards-interview-2021 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=Glamour |date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006101519/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lucy-edwards-interview-2021 |archive-date=6 October 2021}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Deibe |first1=Izzie |title=Blind Presenter Lucy Edwards Calls Out Entertainment Industry: "It's Time to Do Better" |url=https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/blind-activist-lucy-edwards-interview-entertainment-industry-48934885 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=PopSugar |date=6 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906105515/https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/blind-activist-lucy-edwards-interview-entertainment-industry-48934885 |archive-date=6 September 2022}}

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. Five months later, in October, she traveled to Japan to film content for BBC's The Travel Show.{{cite news |author1=The Travel Show |title=Japan's ancient art of taiko drumming |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231020-japans-ancient-art-of-taiko-drumming |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=BBC Travel |date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122062848/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231020-japans-ancient-art-of-taiko-drumming |archive-date=22 November 2023}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Annett |first1=Jackie |title=Who are Creator Universe as they vie for Xmas number one against Pogues and Wham |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/who-creator-universe-vie-xmas-31716750 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=Daily Mirror |date=22 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240104025859/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/who-creator-universe-vie-xmas-31716750 |archive-date=4 January 2024}}

In April 2024, Edwards released a memoir, Blind Not Broken.{{Cite web |last=Crae |first=Ross |date=2024-04-19 |title=Presenter and author Lucy Edwards on new book Blind Not Broken |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/lucy-edwards/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=The Sunday Post |language=en-US}} In July, she signed a book deal with Scholastic for Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer, a middle-grade novel centering a blind protagonist.{{Cite web |last=Fraser |first=Katie |date=2024-07-11 |title=Scholastic signs 'game-changing' middle-grade adventure from blind broadcaster Lucy Edwards |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/scholastic-signs-game-changing-middle-grade-adventure-from-blind-broadcaster-lucy-edwards |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}} That same month, Edwards appeared in Mattel's campaign surrounding their first blind Barbie.{{Cite news |last=Mac Donnell |first=Chloe |date=2024-07-23 |title='A positive step forward': Mattel launches first blind Barbie |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/23/a-positive-step-forward-mattel-launches-first-blind-barbie |access-date=2024-08-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Pitcher |first=Laura |date=2024-08-08 |title=Lucy Edwards, the blind model on a mission to 'overhaul' the beauty world |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/64316/1/lucy-edwards-blind-model-sinead-odwyer-beauty-world |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=Dazed |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Carty |first=Gabrielle |date=2024-08-08 |title=Lucy Edwards Makes History at Copenhagen Fashion Week |url=https://glittermagazine.co/2024/08/08/lucy-edwards-makes-history-at-copenhagen-fashion-week/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=Glitter Magazine |language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-03 |title=The Estée Lauder Companies' NIV and TikTok Announce the Winners of The Catalysts Program |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241003679516/en/The-Estée-Lauder-Companies’-NIV-and-TikTok-Announce-the-Winners-of-The-Catalysts-Program |website=BusinessWire}}

Social media presence

Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes).{{cite web |title=YesterdaysWishes |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/yesterdayswishes |website=YouTube |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301053326/youtube.com/user/yesterdayswishes |archive-date=1 March 2014}} Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials.{{cite news |last1=Wallwork |first1=Ellen |title=Blind Beauty Vlogger YesterdaysWishes Demos How To Apply Make-Up Without A Mirror |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/14/blind-beauty-vlogger-yesterdayswishes_n_7281906.html |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=HuffPost UK |date=14 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516081247/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/14/blind-beauty-vlogger-yesterdayswishes_n_7281906.html |archive-date=16 May 2015}}{{cite news |last1=March |first1=Bridget |title=The blind beauty blogger we can learn LOADS from |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/makeup/news/a35684/blind-beauty-blogger-yesterdays-wishes/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=Cosmopolitan |date=13 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804144604/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/makeup/news/a35684/blind-beauty-blogger-yesterdays-wishes/ |archive-date=4 August 2020}}

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.{{cite web |title=TikTok Creator Spotlight: Lucy Edwards |url=https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/tiktok-creator-spotlight-lucy-edwards |website=TikTok |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105121617/https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/tiktok-creator-spotlight-lucy-edwards |archive-date=5 November 2020 |date=5 November 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Waterworth |first1=Rich |title=Introducing The TikTok 100 – our 2020 Year in Review |url=https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/introducing-the-tiktok-100-our-2020-year-in-review |website=TikTok |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202092038/https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/introducing-the-tiktok-100-our-2020-year-in-review |archive-date=2 December 2020 |date=2 December 2020 |quote=(Image) Voices of Change: @lucyedwardsblind, 794K.}} In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council.{{cite tweet |user=lucyedwards|number=1375387800724508672 |date=26 March 2021|title=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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328074536/https://twitter.com/lucyedwards/status/1375387800724508672|archive-date=28 March 2021}} By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers.{{cite web |title=lucyedwards TikTok Stats Summary Profile|url=https://socialblade.com/tiktok/user/lucyedwards |website=Social Blade |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104134037/https://socialblade.com/tiktok/user/lucyedwards |archive-date=4 January 2024}}

Personal life

Edwards lives in Birmingham with her former guide dog (Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie.{{cite news |last1=Visram |first1=Talib |title='When does this milk expire?': Chat GPT-4 is now helping blind people navigate everyday tasks |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90872674/when-does-this-milk-expire-chat-gpt-4-is-now-helping-blind-people-navigate-everyday-tasks |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329194331/https://www.fastcompany.com/90872674/when-does-this-milk-expire-chat-gpt-4-is-now-helping-blind-people-navigate-everyday-tasks |archive-date=29 March 2023}} The couple began dating when she was 17; she lost her remaining eyesight two months into their relationship. At their wedding in 2023, Edwards had her guests and husband put on blindfolds during her walk down the aisle.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Brittanny |title=Bride who lost sight as a teenager has wedding guests 'live a moment in her shoes' with blindfolds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/bride-blind-wedding-guests-tiktok-b2417361.html |access-date=4 January 2024 |url-access=limited |work=The Independent |date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923223729/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/bride-blind-wedding-guests-tiktok-b2417361.html |archive-date=23 September 2023}} 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".{{Cite web |date=2024-09-23 |title='I'm a blind woman - this is how I'm preparing for IVF' |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/healthy-mums/a62218371/lucy-edwards-blind-woman-preparing-ivf/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Women's Health |language=en-GB}}

Awards and recognition

2024 winner of The Estée Lauder Companies' The Catalysts program
2024 Journalist of the Year at the Sense Awards (shortlisted){{Cite web |date=2024-10-22 |title=Birmingham journalist Lucy Edwards shortlisted for national disability award |url=https://www.birminghamworld.uk/community/birmingham-journalist-lucy-edwards-shortlisted-for-national-disability-award-4835236 |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=BirminghamWorld |language=en}}