Rosie Jones: There should be a greater focus on Covid’s impact on the vulnerable
She has won the comedy prize at the Attitude Awards.
Rosie Jones has said people are not talking enough about the disabled or vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.
The comedian, who was recognised at the Attitude Awards on Tuesday evening, said people have been dismissive of the impact it is having on those who fall within the vulnerable categories.
Jones, who won the comedy award, said she was pleased to be able to speak about disability during an appearance on the BBC’s Question Time last month.
“People say: ‘Oh, Covid only affects people with pre-existing health conditions’, like that’s alright,” the comedian, who has cerebral palsy, told the PA news agency.
She said she was pleased by the reaction to her Question Time appearance, in which she said she is “bloody proud” to be disabled and that her life has been better because of it.
Reflecting on her remarks, she said: “I just said the realities of what it’s like to be a disabled person in Britain right now, but I was blown away by the response and I think it was good that disabled people finally were listened to because especially this year, during Covid, no-one’s been talking about the disabled or vulnerable people.”
Jones, 30, said she does not want “to speak for disabled people”.
“I’m just one person with one experience, so really on Question Time and in my comedy day job I just say: ‘Hello, I’m Rosie, I’m disabled, this is my view of the world’,” she said.
“If you agree with that, if you can take similarities with that, great, but I never assume that I’m grand enough to speak for a fifth of the country.
“I’m not that powerful but it’s great that I’m allowed to do my job and talk about my life as a disabled person and hopefully sometimes people will laugh at that – sometimes they learn from that and if I do my job really well they laugh and they learn.”
She described being recognised at the Attitude Awards as a “dream come true”.
“I can’t believe it, I mean there’s a lot more funny comedians than me, but I’m taking it,” she said.
