Lucy Edwards-Cave (born 18th December 1995) is an English

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

, disability activist, and journalist.

Early life

Edwards lost sight in her right eye at age 11 due to

incontinentia pigmenti ''Incontinentia pigmenti'' (IP) is a rare X-linked dominant genetic disorder that affects the skin, hair, teeth, nails and central nervous system. It is named from its appearance under a microscope. The disease is characterized by skin abnormal ...

, a genetic condition; she lost her remaining eyesight at age 17. She completed her

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

s at college, and dropped out of law school due to her

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

Career

After choosing not to pursue law school further, she trained to become a journalist at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

through their ''Extend'' programme. In 2019, she became

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's first blind presenter. In 2021, she was named as a

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...

for

Pantene Pantene () is an American brand of hair care products now owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line originated in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche of Switzerland, which based the name on panthenol. It started to be introduced in the United ...

. In September 2022, she campaigned for accessibility in the entertainment industry, speaking out on the lack of

audio description Audio description (AD), also referred to as a video description, described video, or visual description, is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work (such as a film or television program, or ...

for television shows, films, and theatres, as well as inaccessible website design. In May 2023, ahead of the

2023 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, as , the winner of the with the song "Stefania (song), Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, was unable to host the eve ...

, she launched a podcast for partially-sighted and blind Eurovision fans on

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is an Over-the-top media service, over-the-top audio streaming media, streaming and download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, Streaming media, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide ...

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''. In December, she featured on a charity cover of Wizzard's "

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", sometimes written as "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day", is a Christmas song recorded by English glam rock band Wizzard. It was first released in December 1973 and, as with most Wizzard songs, was ...

", forming part of influencer supergroup ''Creator Universe'' to raise money for

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

charity

The Trussell Trust Trussell is an NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the United Kingdom. It "is based on, shaped, and guided by Christian principles" and supports a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compa ...

. In April 2024, Edwards released a memoir, ''Blind Not Broken''. In July, she signed a book deal with Scholastic for ''Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer'', a middle-grade novel centering a blind protagonist. That same month, Edwards appeared in Mattel's campaign surrounding their first blind

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

. In August, she modelled for Sinéad O’Dwyer's catwalk as part of

Copenhagen Fashion Week Copenhagen Fashion Week is an international fashion event in Copenhagen, Denmark. This biannual event is organized by the Danish Fashion Institute. History The first Copenhagen Fashion Week was held in 2006, following the merger of the Danish cl ...

, accompanied by her guide dog. This made her the first blind model to participate in the event. In October 2024, Edwards was one of three winners of

The Estée Lauder Companies The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. ( ; stylized as ESTĒE LAUDER) is an American multinational cosmetics company, a manufacturer and marketer of makeup, skincare, perfume, and hair care products, based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is the ...

' The Catalysts program. She aims to use the award's funding and mentorship to establish Etia London, an intentionally-accessible beauty brand.

Social media presence

Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes). Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials. In 2019, Edwards appeared on Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire. She began posting on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

towards the start of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, with many of her videos going viral. In 2020, she was featured in TikTok's ''Creator Spotlight'' campaign, and their ''2020 TikTok 100''. In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council. By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers.

Personal life

Edwards lives in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

with her former

guide dog Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead people who are blind or visually impaired around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green c ...

(Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie. 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. In late 2024, Edwards announced she would be undergoing IVF with her husband; all potential embryos would be screened for

, 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".

Awards and recognition

* 2024 winner of

' The Catalysts program * 2024 Journalist of the Year at the Sense Awards (shortlisted)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Lucy 1990s births Living people 21st-century English educators 21st-century English journalists 21st-century English women artists BBC people Blind activists Blind educators British activists with disabilities English activists Activists from Birmingham, West Midlands English television presenters English TikTokers English women educators English women journalists YouTubers from the West Midlands (county) English make-up artists Mass media people from Birmingham, West Midlands Television presenters with disabilities English blind people