She’s made millions through social media, with many labelling her the ‘OG influencer’ after recognising the power of monetising content ahead of the game.
Now Lorna Luxe is taking a break from social networking for the first time as she grieves the death of her beloved husband John.
Her online community have united in their grief for ‘Mr Luxe’, who played a pivotal part in getting Lorna to where she is today, while their enduring love story was evident through her posts.
She opened up about her heartbreak on Valentine’s Day, sharing a picture kissing Joh and proclaiming that Saturday was ‘the hardest’ day so far following his death on Wednesday.
Lorna, known by her handle Lorna Luxe but really named Lorna Andrews, went on to add that she would be stepping back from social media for a while.
She told her 1.8 million followers: ‘I’m going to be a bit quiet on here, but I’m reading your messages and I’m seeing your comments and I appreciate them very much.’
How Lorna Luxe became the ‘OG influencer’ with husband John by her side: Former flight attendant’s journey from a council estate in Trafford to a millionaire business owner
Lorna has made millions through social media, with many labelling her the ‘OG influencer’ after recognising the power of monetising content ahead of the game
Notably, Lorna, who lived with John in a £2.5million house in Warwickshire, has credited her late husband with helping her grow her online presence.
She told the Passenger Princess podcast: ‘I think having an Instagram husband is the reason why I grew when other people didn’t back then.
‘We didn’t get paid for it [posting on Instagram], so I couldn’t hire anyone to take my photo.
‘Sometimes in the week, if he was working, he drove into London at four in the morning so I would do my makeup in the car.
‘I’d be like, “where are we going to shoot today?” We would drive into central London, usually like South Ken and Chelsea, where the pretty houses were.
‘We would do a little street style shoot and then he’d drive to Canary Wharf and I would get a train home.’
Lorna added to Claire And The City: ‘He’s my best friend in the whole wide world.
‘But yeah, he’s morphed into my superstar shutterbug and still maintains his own career and husbandly duties. The blog wouldn’t exist without his commitment and captures.’
Of course, that’s not to say John is solely responsible for Lorna’s success, with the influencer determined to succeed in life.
Lorna, who lived with John in a £2.5million house in Warwickshire, has credited her late husband with helping her grow her online presence
Lorna was raised by her mother and grandparents on a council estate in Trafford. Her father left when she was four.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she shared: ‘Even from an early age I set my aspirations high and worked hard at college to score a place and escape to Newcastle Uni.
‘I read English and Music. I’m also now fluent in Geordie and real ale plus I can withstand gale force winds whilst wearing only a negligee and clutching a kebab!’
After graduating, Lorna set her sights on seeing the world and got a job as cabin crew with Virgin Atlantic, describing her time as ‘a champagne lifestyle and lemonade wage scenario’.
It was during this time that she met John, with the pair introduced through mutual friends in a bar in 2009 when she was 25 and he was 46.
Lorna recalled to The Sun: ‘At first, I thought, “Who’s this older bloke chatting to me?” I was young and rated myself, so I was going, “Who do you think you are?”
‘But then as soon as I talked to him, I was thinking, “Wow, who is this charismatic man?” John was the first man I was ever in awe of. He was immediately interesting to me.’
Their connection was undeniable and the following year the couple tied the knot in New York.
By 2015, Lorna had garnered 100,000 followers and began getting invited to events by PRs and other online creators while the term influencer was still relatively unknown
Yet despite having her dream career and happy marriage, Lorna was secretly struggling behind the scenes with an eating disorder, an illness that eventually led to her losing her job.
‘I had my job taken away from me because of my illness,’ she told bCreator. ‘They gave me five months off, and they would have supported me to the hill, but they then wanted me to work on the ground, and I was like – in my head – “I’m a glamorous air stewardess.” It all came crashing down and I was devastated.’
So Lorna took time out while she worked on her recovery, with John supporting her through his job as a banker at HSBC.
It was then that Lorna discovered the power of the world of social media, posting a selfie every day to see how she was progressing during her recovery.
At the same time, Lorna got a job at online homewares shop Rockett St George, where she realised her keen eye for fashion and learnt about online businesses.
‘I’m a chatty person but wasn’t going out and socialising,’ she told bCreator. ‘So when social media came into my life, I was like “great, I don’t even have to meet these people. I can just chat away all day and all night…
‘I suppose what with Instagram being built on engagement, I was contributing a lot of engagement. And so it was very easy to grow.’
By 2015 she had garnered 100,000 followers and began getting invited to events by PRs and other online creators.
By 2022 her career had taken off so much that John left his lucrative job in banking in order to help Lorna build her brand – but not before the couple got into debt kickstarting her career
‘I hadn’t been out in months, if not years,’ she recalled. ‘But I quickly came out of my shell because I had life experience. I wasn’t 21 not knowing what I was doing, I was 32/33.
‘Of course, most PRs at that time didn’t really understand it [being an influencer], and I didn’t really understand it – so we were all in the same boat; all navigating through this strange thing that had happened.
‘I spent a good year slowly meeting people and getting to know other influencers. They would talk about how much they were earning and what they were doing – and I was just a sponge. I just paid attention and kept going.’
By 2019, the world began to become saturated with content creators, but Lorna had built up her loyal fanbase and had established herself as the reliable and consistent ‘OG [original] influencer’.
Such was her pulling power that when she was approached by fashion brand In The Style to create a debut clothing range – the clothing collection made £62,000 within the first hour of being on sale.
By 2022 her career had taken off so much that John left his lucrative job in banking in order to help Lorna build her brand.
Together, they founded makeup line 98 Beauty and womenswear brand L.A-Space, which generated £100,000 on the first day of launching.
Lorna can now command up to £80,000 a month through just one brand deal, but things weren’t always so easy, with Lorna and John racking up £300,000 in debt while trying to launch her career.
‘I was buying a lot of outfits and clothes to show off on my Instagram,’ she recalled. ‘I just loved it, and I always used to say to John, “This will make me some money at some point. I don’t know when, but I’ve got a feeling this is going to take off.”‘
Tragedy struck, however, in April 2023, when John was diagnosed with stage three adrenal cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy. He tragically passed away last week
Tragedy struck, however, in April 2023, when John was diagnosed with stage three adrenal cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy.
The couple kept followers updated throughout his treatment and fans were delighted when they revealed John was in remission in November 2023.
Tragically, his cancer returned in May 2024 and spread to his brain, with John passing away last week, while holding Lorna’s hand.
Announcing his passing on Instagram, Lorna wrote: ‘My beautiful, brave John died yesterday. I am heartbroken.
‘We were together to the very end, at home, in our own bed and holding hands which is exactly what he wanted.
‘The last conversation we had I asked him how he was feeling and he replied “rough but in love” and that was so him, to the point and choosing to put aside his fears to make me feel cherished and loved.
‘John and I were so grateful to the district nurses who came daily to support us and make him comfortable.
‘Anna was his favourite nurse and the kindness she showed him was beyond, she was a real-life angel.
‘We couldn’t have had those last few days together at home without that care and my mum who has been with us keeping me strong when I needed to stay strong for John.
‘John you are a class act and I will love you forever.’
While she had been sharing pictures of John and reposting tributes, on Valentine’s Day Lorna announced she would be staying quiet online while she grieves
The couple were child-free by choice, with Lorna revealing they briefly tried for a baby when she was in her 20s but ‘nothing happened [and] I wasn’t bothered enough to go to the doctor.’
Since John’s passing, Lorna has been supported by her online community and famous friends and followers, including Molly-Mae Hague, Rochelle Humes and Michelle Keegan.
While she had been sharing pictures of John and reposting tributes, on Valentine’s Day she announced she would be staying quiet online while she grieves.
She explained: ‘Day 3 of no John and it’s been the hardest.
‘I read a quote today that said, “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides,” and I think I got to experience that.
‘I’m going to be a bit quiet on here, but I’m reading your messages and I’m seeing your comments and I appreciate them very much.’
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