Rosie Jones didn't think she'd find love
As a gay, disabled woman, Rosie Jones thought “nobody would ever love” her for a long time but she is now in a happy relationship.
Rosie Jones thought “nobody would ever love” her for a long time.
The 35-year-old comic – who has cerebral palsy – didn’t come out as a lesbian until her late 20s because she was convinced she wouldn’t ever be in a happy relationship as a disabled woman.
She told Big Issue magazine: “I didn’t come out until I was 27.
“For a long time, I thought, ‘I can’t be disabled and gay’. I never saw a disabled person of any sexuality in a lovely, happy, healthy relationship.
“I thought, ‘Nobody will ever love me.’ It sounds sadder than it was at the time.
“Life was full with great friends, great family, my career was brilliant.”
Rosie was keen to come out to be a role model to others and she is now much more confident in herself.
She said: “After learning about ableism, I thought, ‘I want to come out because I want younger people to have that representation that I never had.’
“I have grown in confidence and know that I am deserving of love.
“I’m in a relationship now and I’ve got an amazing girlfriend.”
Rosie thinks she is an “easy target” for online trolling and feels she is frequently treated as a “lesser” person because of her disability.
She said: “I grew up in the 90s, when I had little-to-zero disability representation in my life and that felt isolating and confusing.
“Now, I’m physically disabled with a voice impairment and am regularly on TV shows.
“That would never have happened 20 years ago.
“But in other respects, we are regressing.
“When I’m out and about, I’m still looked at, laughed at, treated like I’m lesser, because I’ve got a physical disability. It’s s***.
“I am receiving more hate on social media than I ever have.
“I think with what’s happening in the world, with the rise of the right, people are getting more angry and more vocal.
“As a woman who’s disabled, queer, a comedian, I am an easy target."
The Daddy Look at Me podcaster does her best to ignore her critics and just carry on with her life.
She added: “I have to choose to ignore, carry on and hope one day those very angry men tire themselves out.”
