Hi, I’m Natalie.
Vitiligo ambassador, content creator and Charity Director of The Vitiligo Society.
Living with vitiligo myself, I know first-hand how powerful it can be to see your story reflected in the world. That understanding is the reason I’m here.
I’m passionate about raising awareness, promoting body positivity, and helping others feel confident in their own skin.
Over the years, I’ve shared my journey with a range of audiences and not just in the UK where I live. From speaking at the American Academy of Dermatology in Orlando and the British Association of Dermatology in the UK, to hosting the annual World Vitiligo Day Conference, I have been given many privileged opportunities to share my story. Each of these events aren’t just about delivering to an audience, it’s about sharing the patient perspective and creating connection, understanding and hope that the world will better understand vitiligo in the future.
I’ve also been part of projects that have brought focus to vitiligo in everyday culture, from contributing to a Rainbow Magic children’s book to ensure a character with vitiligo felt real and empowering, to joining BBC Teach’s anti-bullying campaign, highlighting the impact words can have on self-esteem.
Media has been another way for me to open up conversations. Appearing on Channel 4’s Naked Education, and news shows like BBC News, Sky News and ITV’s Lorraine, allowed me to share not just facts but my own experiences, but my stance on self-acceptance and resilience.
In 2025, I became a proud co-founder and partner at Living Dappled, a global platform where women and girls with vitiligo can share their stories and find a sense of belonging. My journey has also been featured in outlets such as Cosmopolitan, The Metro, and Stylist, but what matters most to me is the message that difference is something to be celebrated, not hidden.
My journey with vitiligo started when I was just three years old. My parents noticed a small white patch on my tiny hand, that seemed to have appeared quietly over-night. At first, they weren’t too worried. But as more patches began to appear, concern set in.
Our GP couldn’t identify what it was and simply told my parents to come back if it worsened. This didn’t leave them with much reassurance that it wouldn’t get any worse and inevitably it did, with more patches appearing across my body over a matter of months.
My journey with vitiligo
Their concern for what was happening become heightened and so they took me back to our GP and still he was unsure, so referred me to a dermatologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital. That’s where my parents finally heard the word “vitiligo”, a lifelong, incurable condition that had very little success in being treated. They were devastated.
As a child, I didn’t fully understand what it meant. My innocence shielded me from society’s ideas of beauty. But one day in the playground, a boy refused to touch me, afraid he might “catch my skin.” That moment changed everything. It was the first time I realised I was different, and that difference made you stand out in a negative way.
My teenage years were the hardest. I became painfully self-conscious and felt like the odd one out in every scenario. Swimming lessons filled me with dread, summer made me anxious, and I hid beneath long sleeves even in the heat.
Growing up with vitiligo
My confidence plummeted as I moved through each of my school years, and I spent years feeling disconnected from my body and my identity. I longed to fit in, but my skin made me feel like I never could. Despite having a supportive family and close friends, it didn’t change how I saw myself. They might not have noticed my skin, but I noticed it every single day, and looking in the mirror was often the hardest part.
Finding My Confidence
With time, reflection, and the making connections with the community, I began to see my skin differently. But it took twenty years to reach the place I’m in today — living in my most authentic era.
For a long time, confidence felt completely out of reach…impossible in fact. You’re either born with it or not….or so I thought. I used to think confidence meant being loud, fearless, or unapologetically bold but I’ve since learned that real confidence starts quietly, from within. It began the moment I stopped comparing myself to others and started showing up as me, flaws, patches, and all.
Sharing my story so publicly and vulnerably gave me power. Opening up about my insecurities helped me heal them and connecting with the vitiligo community gave me a sense of belonging I didn’t even realise I’d been missing. Slowly, I stopped hiding and started embracing the parts of myself I once wished away.
There were tough days, of course. Moments of doubt and vulnerability but through each one, I learned to extend the same kindness to myself that I so freely offered others. I began to celebrate my skin rather than cover it, to speak to myself with compassion rather than criticism.
Today, my life looks completely different. I’ve spent years reshaping my mindset, building meaningful connections, and letting go of the narrow beauty ideals that once defined how I saw myself.
Most importantly, I’ve found freedom - in my skin, and in who I am.
Now, I’m passionate about helping others do the same. Whether you live with vitiligo or simply struggle with self-confidence, or have a child with vitiligo and want to understand how to support them, I want you to know this: you are not alone.
You deserve to feel beautiful, seen, and at home in your own skin, exactly as you are.