Samantha Renke is a presenter, actress, disability activist and former teacher. Samantha has done it all. Samantha is strong woman who knows what she wants and we love her for that. She uses her voice for a positive purpose and that is to help others.
BeautyTies: You are one busy woman to get hold of Samantha. What have been doing lately?
Samantha: I have been shielding since the beginning of lockdown so I’ve had to find ways of working very differently. I spend most my time really connecting with the disability community via social media which has been on many levels very cathartic, and also I think it’s giving me the strength to be a better spokesperson and disability rights activist .
BeautyTies: We love your style. What is your favourite store to shop for clothes and beauty products?
Samantha: I am a high street girl. I love British history, I think they are so strong and we are so blessed to have affordable fashion on our doorsteps. I have to admit I have become very much an online buyer purely for practical reasons, high streets are not always the most accessible places and getting to shops can be problematic when you are a wheelchair user.
Right now I love Zara but I get a lot of my clothes from Zara kids. I’m under 4 foot tall which means finding clothes that fit can sometimes be problematic or they can look far too childish but Zara has a lot of neutral tones which can really make the clothes look rather sophisticated on somebody who has a bottom and some boobs !
I’m also a Ebay girl. I grew up with my father working as an antiques dealer so being thrifty is in my blood.
One good thing about second hand clothes is in particular if you have to alter then you don’t lose out too much on the cost if you have to cut some trousers and throw away the excess.
BeautyTies: Do you think disability should be taught in schools? I know at school it was never spoken about and so treated like it wasn’t “normal” or people wouldn’t know how to react to disabled people. With the world changing and students becoming more open minded to others, do you think it would help?
Samantha: As a former teacher with a disability, I’ve seen first hand the importance of representation not only within schools and their pupils but the members of staff. I think the more you expose people to things that they aren’t used to, the less inclined they are to be awkward or fearful of that.
I would’ve liked a few more inclusive classes maybe looking at disability history or sex and disability, that would’ve personally helped me with my identity as a teenager .
BeautyTies: What changes would you make in the world?
Samantha: Money to be spent more wisely. I think a lot of money gets wasted on things that aren’t necessarily important whereas budgets are cut from education social services and people genuinely struggle daily because of this deficit.
Also I am very much an animal person I abhor or cannot stand anyone or anything that aims to harm animals I am very much an empath and I feel very deeply when I see any animal cruelty. I would make it the law that any violence or cruelty towards animals would be treated as severely as cruelty or violence towards mankind.
BeautyTies: What is your beauty routine like? You have amazing skin
Samantha: I don’t necessarily have one! That sounds really bad, I can be very lazy and just use a face wipe to take off my make up and I really do not drink enough water. I am such a northern girl, I have always cuppa tea my hand but never a water bottle.
My skin is very transparent, you can always tell if I’m stressed because I have a break out I think my skin in my late 20s and 30s has been worse than it ever has even as a teenager and it’s most definitely related to my stress.
I started to use vitamin C serum along with face sprays to keep your face hydrated like a nice lavender mist spray, it’s just so easy to do even before bed and it makes you feel a little special!
BeautyTies: What make up is your favourite to use?
Samantha: I use a lot of different make ups, I really like Benefit I think it gives you that Hollywood glamour, a little bit eccentric but I like that. I also really like Mac. I have to admit I do have expensive taste when it comes to anything that I put on my face. I’m not saying that less expensive products aren’t as good, but I do notice a difference in the way I can remove make up easier when it is a little bit more on the pricey side. I definitely don’t think it dries out my skin as much. This is why I always use my Boots advantage card or my Superdrug advantage card so that I can treat myself to expensive make up or perfume without it hurting my bank balance.
BeautyTies: What music are you listening to right now?
Samantha: I’m falling back in love with 80s music, so 80's hits and also Fearne Cotton has done some amazing 90's throwback albums which have been keeping me going during lockdown.
BeautyTies: What do you do for fun?
Samantha; I used to be such a party girl, like a real wild child. I don’t think many people are aware of that, only those that I used to go clubbing with but I’m definitely not there anymore. I don’t think I’ll be alive if I carried on the way I was going, I love my bed way too much now.
I’ve become a cat mum....
I like my own company - this sounds strange because I am very much a people person in many ways, my job means that I’m always engaging with other people, but when I’ve got some free time I just like to chill on the sofa or in my bed with the cat watching reruns of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and buying clothes on eBay.
I also really like to trave,l but I struggle travelling on my own because aircraft’s don’t cater for people with disabilities, however my best friend is Mexican and I try and go to Mexico as often as I can with him, it’s probably one of my favourite places in the world.
BeautyTies: Being in lockdown has been difficult for most people. What challenges have you faced?
Samantha: I’ve had to leave my flat in London for a number of reasons to go back up north to stay with my mother and stepfather, it’s actually been really quite nice to spend quality time with them and we haven’t had one fall out in three months which has shocked me more than anybody. But my mums' home isn’t very wheelchair friendly, so I’ve lost some of my independence which has been a struggle to get over mentally. I’ve also struggled with the influx of people needing my attention. I know a lot of my friends really struggled with the isolation, but for me it’s quite normal, I work a lot from home and disabled people in general are isolated a lot of the time.
BeautyTies: What is your idea of a perfect day?
Samantha; Being abroad on a nice sunny day, walking through a market or a vintage store, and having a lot of ice cream.
BeautyTies: If you had three wishes would would they be?
Samantha: For a more equal world, for animal cruelty to stop, and for me to be able to spend more time with my family.
BeautyTies: What items can’t you leave the home without?
Samantha: I have a teddy bear that was given to me when I was a baby. I have to say if I ever go anywhere overnight I still put him in my bag. I think I would be devastated if I lost him .
A photo of my father who passed away when I was nine years old.
My Mia Tui handbag which I designed with the company to fit on the back of my wheelchair.
BeautyTies: Who would you most like to have dinner with?
Samantha: Anyone from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
BeautyTies: Who has been your biggest influence in life?
Samantha: Myself! I feel pride in my accomplishments. I feel proud of my strength and I feel proud of where I am heading towards .
BeautyTies: The youngest in our family wants to know if you got to eat lots of Maltesers in the advert you appeared in? They are her favourite.
Samantha: I actually really like Maltesers and yes I got to eat a lot and I got given a lot but I didn’t actually get paid In Maltesers.
BeautyTies: We really appreciated Samantha giving us this interview. Samantha has the best style online and it is an honour to have her on the blog. Disability is not spoken about enough and Samantha is worth following online. We agree that disability does need to spoken about more in schools. We hope this will help others,
Miss Samantha Renke
Broadcaster and Disability Rights Campaigner.
Agent: Andrew Roach - andrew@andrewroachtalent.com
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