May 15th 2024.
Next Up, let's talk about Georgia Meacham, a model and actress who has been hiding her deafness for over a decade while pursuing her career. In honor of Deaf Awareness Week, she recently opened up to her 70,000 followers on Instagram, revealing that she wears two hearing aids. She also appeared on Good Morning Britain to share her experience.
In her post, Georgia wrote, "Most of you reading this probably had no idea that I was born with moderate deafness in both ears and have been wearing hearing aids since I was 17 months old." She went on to explain that despite keeping her hearing aids hidden for so long, she heavily relies on them and would struggle without them. She also mentioned that keeping this secret has taken a toll on her mental health.
To conceal her hearing aids, Georgia would wear her hair down, avoid asking for subtitles, and refrain from making adjustments in social settings. However, after seeing Tasha Ghouri on Love Island, the first deaf contestant on the show, Georgia felt inspired to speak out. Tasha has been using her platform to raise awareness for the deaf community, and watching her confidence and positivity inspired Georgia to do the same.
During her appearance on Good Morning Britain, Georgia shared, "Growing up, I was always the only one in school and university with hearing aids. I've never had a friend who also wears hearing aids or is deaf. I've never been a part of that community." The hosts then surprised Georgia by bringing Tasha onto the show, which left her emotional. Tasha, in turn, praised Georgia for embracing her true self and being an inspiration.
At 18, Georgia signed a modeling contract and has since worked for brands like Stella McCartney and Karen Millen. She has also appeared in music videos for artists like Tinie Tempah, Cheryl, and One Direction. However, she had to rely on lipreading to get through her jobs. Georgia shared that she was in denial about her deafness and often had to guess what was being said on set.
She also opened up about her journey of self-acceptance, revealing that she used to be confident enough to wear pink, sparkly hearing aids in school. But when she started university, she felt embarrassed to discuss her deafness with new people. It wasn't until last year when she started therapy and plans to learn British Sign Language that she began to embrace her disability.
Looking towards the future, Georgia is determined to use her position to speak about deaf representation in her industries. She feels excited and hopeful about this new chapter in her life. Good Morning Britain airs on weekdays from 6.30am on ITV1 and ITVX. If you have a celebrity story to share, you can contact the entertainment team by email or by visiting their Submit Stuff page. They would love to hear from you.
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