I HAVE been a showbiz journalist for 20 years and done over 1,000 interviews with everyone from Jedward to Harry Styles.
But Lorna Luxe, the OG Instagram influencer, did something after our exclusive Fabulous Magazine interview that left me truly speechless.
I’ve been desperate to get Lorna – real name Lorna Andrews – on the cover for months.
She’s never trusted any publication with her personal story but I felt like she had a compelling, heart-wrenching tale that our readers needed to hear.
Fortunately, after meeting – and partying – with me at Glastonbury Festival in June, she agreed to the interview.
During the shoot she was excitable and a total pro at the posing, but at the end of the day she said something that floored me: she invited me out to dinner.
Now, to be clear, I don’t do this job for accolades or rewards (although I do get a thrill when a cover star shares my interview on their social media).
Over the years I’ve had flowers (thanks Angela Scanlon), cookies (cheers Olivia Bowen) and really thoughtful messages of thanks. But Lorna truly went above and beyond by hosting an intimate dinner to celebrate her Fabulous cover for seven of her closest friends – and me.
For those who missed Sunday’s major scoop – read it here – Lorna is a 43-year-old social media influencer who built a huge online following of 1.7m fans thanks to her impeccable style, her openness about her age-gap marriage (her husband John who often appears on her stories is 21 years her senior), their decision not to have children and John’s battle with stage four adrenal cancer.
Her career is built on her. She is the brand. And people love her. She also adores her followers, and confided in me: “It’s like these people are actually my friends.
“I chat to the same people every day. I reply to DMs. I can’t always give everyone a novel back, but I’ll try to reply or acknowledge their comment.”
Lorna’s followers are just as invested in John, her husband of 16 years, as they are about her. They’ve definitely kept to their vows of taking each other ‘for richer, for poorer and in sickness and in health’.
In April 2023, John was diagnosed with stage three adrenal cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy. Lorna kept her followers updated throughout his treatment and they supported her when he went into remission in November 2023.
But in a tragic turn of events, his cancer returned in May 2024 and has spread to his brain.
Before Christmas, John was rushed back to hospital with organ failure, following a complication with his chemotherapy and fell ill with sepsis, but he has proven to be something of a fighter.
Lorna was told to “prepare for the worst”, but she says she knew he would recover and a determined John was home in time for Christmas.
She told me: “It’s been quite scary because we don’t know how long we’ve got. We don’t know how long John is going to feel up for doing things so we’re running at a million miles an hour at the minute. We know we’re on a timeline.”
Lorna recently revealed her husband’s cancer had spread and that treatment was “no longer an option”.
Lorna and John have been treating themselves to nice experiences to make the most of the time they have together, taking each day as it comes.
We’re often told to ‘live each day like it’s your last’ but actually that’s a pretty hard mantra to keep to – sometimes you’re a bit tired and can’t be bothered living your life to the full.
I’ve experienced my own grief and when you’ve been through the trauma of losing someone young you do realise how limited our time with our loved ones are.
And I wonder if it’s because of Lorna’s circumstances that she recognises the need to celebrate the good times.
So the night before the Fabulous Magazine cover dropped, Lorna and her closest pals got glammed up for drinks at the exclusive The Eagle bar at the Chancery, Rosewood, where she and John were staying.
We then headed to Isobel in Mayfair for a delicious three course meal, where the wine was flowing. Every detail was thought of with even the menu adorned with the Fabulous logo.
And Lorna was the most perfect host making sure my glass was never empty – I had the hangover to prove that on Sunday morning.
When the interview dropped I don’t think I’ve ever had so many texts, emails and DMs from friends, colleagues, even one friend of a friend who said his wife had corralled him into contacting me to ask, ‘What is Lorna Luxe really like?’
And I can unequivocally say she is exactly what you see online. She is thoughtful, caring and honest.
There is a warmth to her that makes her feel like she’s a friend you’ve known for ages and you could tell anything to. I definitely told her some of my secrets over an espresso martini.
I think her appeal is that she does not think she is a celebrity – just a normal girl connecting with people online. She’s never forgotten where she came from.
Many Fabulous readers commented on her behind the scenes video how glad they were that she hadn’t dropped her accent.
She grew up on a council estate in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and although she now lives in a giant house in Warwickshire, there are no airs and graces about her at all.
On the shoot she was amazed to try Pret for the first time admitting they don’t have one near her as she tucked into her tuna baguette.
And John was on hand as the proudest husband capturing content and cheering her on.
It was a wonderful insight into two people so very much in love even after so long together.
At the dinner, I gave Lorna a framed cover to keep and the following morning she shared with her followers that John had already hung it in their downstairs bathroom saying: “It’s just been a lovely thing to happen for both of us over a pretty strange time.”
It’s clear that Lorna’s star is rising – some very powerful managers reached out begging me to put them in touch as they are desperate to work with her so I’ve no doubt this Fabulous cover is just the start of her career going stratospheric.
