Kelly Knox

Early life

Kelly Knox was born in Enfield, North London and raised in both Enfield and Poplar, East London. She was born without a left forearm but, from the age of seven, refused to wear a prosthetic arm and since then has never used a prosthesis.

Career

In 2008, she was the winner of the BBC Three Reality TV show, Britain's Missing Top Model. Knox was one of eight disabled women contestants. Among her competitors were two deaf women, a wheelchair user and a woman with one leg. As the winner of Britain's Missing Top Model, she won a photoshoot with top fashion photographer, Rankin, and a feature in Marie Claire magazine. Unlike Britain's Next Top Model, a modelling contract was not part of the prize, but she was offered an introduction to Take 2 Models (London) who signed her after the show but shortly after went into administration. Knox is currently represented by LMB Management.

Knox has featured in two series of Gok Wan's How to Look Good Naked television series. She has also appeared on television in Celebrity Ready Steady Cook with Jonathan Phang, and has modelled and been interviewed on This Morning and BBC Breakfast.

She has modelled in catwalk shows such as London Fashion Week, and walked in the 'Trends for 2013 Fashion Show' for Procter & Gamble Beauty 'Vision House' in Beijing. She has featured in advertising campaigns for VO5 and Samsung. Knox continued to break fashion barriers in 'Tenk Nytt' or 'Think New' advertising campaign for Oslo City. In April 2013, it was announced that Knox would feature in the latest campaign for high-street store Debenhams, the first high street chain to use disabled models in its campaigns. Knox's photo was featured in British Vogue magazine in April 2013. The imagery celebrates diversity in the retail sector.

Knox was interviewed by Lou Stoppard at Nick Knight's Showstudio.com as part of their Prosthetics: Conversations, talking about the fashion industry's treatment of diverse bodies and her decision not to wear a prosthetic arm. Other newspaper articles include: The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Sunday Times, and The New York Post. Magazines include: Marie Claire UK (2008), a cover for Diva (2010) and Marie Claire China (2013).

She has worked in the UK, United States, Germany, China, Norway and Pakistan. Knox starred as a lead actress in 2013 in the second series of Channel 4's hidden camera series I'm Spazticus, that seeks to change perceptions of disabilities. As part of the London College of Fashion's Better Lives Seminar on 10 March 2014, she spoke about "Ableism in Fashion".

In the Autumn of 2014, Knox was listed in the Power 100 – Britain's Most Influential People with a Disability. Knox was interviewed for Australian disability magazine Link, for their October 2014 issue. Knox shot for exclusive Parisian Fashion brand Yperlab in October 2014.

Knox featured in Fabulous Magazine, Feb 2016 In early 2016 she co-founded the Diversity Not Disability campaign to promote equal opportunities for models with disabilities.

In 2016 Knox was shortlisted for Celebrity of The Year at The National Diversity Awards. In September 2016, she walked on Carrie Hammer's runway as part of New York Fashion Week.

Charity

In 2008, Knox launched a charity auction of celebrity shoes to raise money for landmine victims in aid of the Mines Advisory Group. She also worked with youth and education charity Raleigh. In 2013, Knox became an ambassador for Reach Charity, the association for children with upper limb deficiency.

In 2013, Knox presented a short video for United Response creative disability project 'Postcards from the Edges', to encourage other people affected by disability to create a postcard of their own to express what is important to them.

Knox is an ambassador (2016) for Parallel London and Disability Confident.