I lost my eyesight at 17, but I see my blindness as a superpower

I lost my eyesight at 17, but I see my blindness as a superpower

• Lucy Edwards, 28, was diagnosed with incontinentia pigmenti at the age of 11
• She slowly began to lose her eyesight over the course of six years
• The content creator confessed she grieved eyesight as well as her future plans

Interviewing Hollywood royalty with her diamond cane has become the norm for Lucy Edwards, but gracing the glitzy red carpet hasn't always been her reality.

When Lucy, who hails from Birmingham, was 11 she was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition calledincontinentia pigmenti, later losing her vision at 17.

The presenter, who dubs her blindness a 'superpower', is an internet sensation, using her two-million strong TikTok backing to raise awareness on life as a blind person - and to dispel the misconceptions that come along with it.

She has reached professional heights some can only dream of, winning a Royal Television Personality Award,chatting up up Hollywood royalty such asRyan Gosling, and has even been the face of Pantene.

Originally garnering a large following uploading makeup tutorials on YouTube and being compared to the likes of Zoella, the disability activist is a force to be reckoned with.

However her life hasn't always appearing glossy-haired on adverts, as she reveals all about the heartbreaking moment she lost her sight as a teen.

The rare genetic condition particularly affects the skin but can also impact other bodily systems including the eyes - sometimes resulting in vision loss.

For Lucy, her sight began to slowly deteriorate until she received her official diagnosis at the age of 11.

Recounting the traumatic moment when her family knew something was awry with her vision, Lucy remembered how they were cycling along Tissington Trail.

As the four - herself, mother, father and sister - rode underneath a disused railway line, Lucy hit a shard protruding from the path.

She told MailOnline: 'My bike hit the object and I just fell over.

'It was the first time where my family were just all like: "She should have seen that. We all saw it."'

'It was the first moment where I sat in the car and I was like "oh my gosh, i can't see!'

After being diagnosed, the content creator shared that she was a stubborn teenager, refusing to use her cane in school whilst she retained.

She said: 'I would just block it out, I think mainly the moment was when I was 17 that's when it really hit me.'

Her world came crashing down the moment she looked at her now-husband, Ollie Cave, at the age of 17, and he appeared to be 'glowing'.

Lucy previously had cataract surgery where doctors warned her retina could detach completely - which it eventually did.

'I turned to look at him and said Ollie you are glowing. My bedside lamp was behind him,' she said.

'He turned to me and said what do you mean Lu. I didn't really know how to answer other than it looked like there were two of him.'

She rushed downstairs to tell her father and was later informed by doctors the remaining retina in her left eye was detaching.

She told MailOnline: 'I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Being so young, I didn't know how to process it - I became an adult overnight.

'I was no longer Lucy who has just done her GCSEs and was about to take on her A-levels.

'I was worried about how I was going to do my work, if I would see Ollie's face again.

'All these questions of how I was going to actually live my life flooded my mind.

'You don't see a future in that moment. It's very scary. You're not thriving anymore you're just surviving.'

In the midst of grieving for her sight, Lucy would try her best to cling on to the images of her most beloved memories including her VFX artist and husband Ollie.

'I would remember the lovely little mole Ollie had under his eye for so long.

'I don't remember his face because I've tried to remember it for so long.

The emotional impact of losing her sight took its toll on Lucy by the age of 19, where she remained in bed for an entire year.

'I remember having to learn how to pour a cup of tea again and burning myself and just crying for half a morning because I felt so frustrated I couldn't do it.

She added: 'I couldn't move because I was so ill mentally because of what happened to me. My mum and dad didn't know what to do. They were so grief-stricken and worried.

But her then-boyfriend - who she met in 2015 - was determined Lucy would make a return - and that she did eventually becoming BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter.

'It was so hard over that year - I literally couldn't see a light at the end of my tunnel.

'But I want people to believe that you can go to the darkest depths of your mind and come back.

'I know every corner of my mind and when I am becoming mentally unwell. My blindness has taught me is to really appreciate the time that I have now.'

In the face of negativity, from unkind comments to being refused entry to locations because of her guide dog, Lucy said her blindness has been her 'superpower'.

'It's where I have got my drive from,' the award-winning presenter said.

Lucy has only gone from strength-to-strength on her journey, from becoming an internet sensation with her make-up tutorials and dispelling misconceptions about being blind.

As she hopes to embark into motherhood in the near future, she has released her own novel 'Blind Not Broken' in the hopes of teaching others of how to find happiness in loss.

'I would say five positive things about myself a day and at the start I really didn't believe them - I would always be comparing myself to sighted Lucy.

'I wanted to be anything but blind back then, but I would say positive words associated with the word blind.

'Even though I felt that it was the worst thing that was happening to me there was so many positives that were coming from it.

'I became more independent and the more life I live I learnt that life isn't about sight - it's about how you feel inside.

'And it's about when you meet someone. It's not about how they look. It's about the relationship that you build with that person.'

She added: 'I just felt that my blindness was giving me a gift that I hadn't been able to see before. Losing my sight gave me vision.'

'Life isn't so black and white. I love my blindness, but I also hate it, and I think both can be true.

'There are moments when I get a bit low, when I can't remember Olly's mole or I think about all of my friends and what their babies and my baby will look like.

Tearfully reflecting on the last ever photo she took of herself as a teenager she said: 'It is so painful to think back to that photo and to think back to the fact that I didn't.

'That girl didn't know didn't know that she would never see herself again, and that is and always will be really tough.

'But the difficult moments are very few and far between because I live a gorgeous, fulfilling life every single day.

She added: 'And part of my brain has accepted I may not see my face again.'

Reflecting on the importance on diversity, inclusion and loving her blindness, Lucy said: ‘I think back to all the little Lucy’s’ out there that are losing their eyesight right now.'

Lucy has continued to advocated for more accessibility both online and in real life - when she became an ambassador for Pantene she advised on making their products friendly for those without sight.

She also stunned the world when a video of her stunning wedding went viral as all the guests where blindfolded as she walked down the aisle.

And as she looks forward to eventually becoming the mother show how parenting can take many forms.

'It's another space that completely isn't accessible, like you have to think about like baby balls and sterilisers and all these different things.

'So I'm going to be labelling them. And I think that's kind of I would love to spotlight further.

Another goal she hopes to add to her long list of accomplishments is creating an inclusive beauty brand designed for everyone to experience

'I still spend hours labelling it every single time my items when I come back from boots. And, dear, Lord, poor Ollie -it's a lot!

'I don't have to give up my independence at the door, because I can walk, and, in fact, I have mobility routes to my local Boots.

'So I hope one day I can introduce packaging and beauty products that can change that in the near future.'

Hoping to inspire young boys and girls who are visually impaired, Lucy said:

‘When I was losing my sight at 17 I didn’t have a sense of self. I didn’t believe I could dream big or become a presenter, or an author.

‘I didn’t believe that these things where in my future when I lost my eyesight and now that I’ve actually accomplished them - I’m like well you can too.

'I haven't always felt this way but I think having differences is your superpower. I have found acceptance. I love being blind - I have finally found my happy place.'