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
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
supergroupCreator Universe to raise money for
food bank charity
The Trussell Trust.[8]
Social media presence
Edwards began posting on YouTube in early 2014 under the name Yesterday's Wishes (stylised as YesterdaysWishes).[9] Her content included vlogs about her experiences with blindness and accessible makeup and beauty tutorials.[10][11]
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.[12][13] In 2021, she joined TikTok's UK Creator Council.[14] By January 2024, Edwards had 1.8 million followers.[15]
Personal life
Edwards lives in
Birmingham with her former
guide dog (Olga), current guide dog (Molly), and her husband, Ollie.[16] 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.[17]