All these children are naturals in front of the camera, as well they might be. For they are all professional models earning their first pay packets. And they have one other thing in common: they all have Down’s syndrome.
The children have been given a start in a glamorous career thanks to Sheffield-based agency Zebedee, which prides itself on employing people with diverse disabilities.
It has now teamed up with the Radical Beauty Project to mark Down’s Syndrome Day tomorrow.
Here, the proud mums of eight of the models who took part in the project tell KATHRYN KNIGHT how they hope their children can inspire others.
All these children are professional models earning their first pay packets. And they have one other thing in common: they all have Down’s syndrome. Pictured from left, Ben, Holly, Sara, Grace, Gabriel, Frankie, Kush and Roni
I WAS SO PROUD MY GIRL COULD DO THIS
Roni Littman, six, lives in Potters Bar, Herts, with her dad Jon, 46, who is in the Royal Navy, full-time mum Shelley, 43, and her five-year-old brother Jaiden. Shelley says:
Last year at Jon’s parents’ Golden Wedding anniversary party Roni got up on stage to sing and got everyone belly dancing.
Roni Littman, six, lives in Potters Bar, Herts, with her dad Jon, 46, who is in the Royal Navy, full-time mum Shelley, 43, and her five-year-old brother Jaiden
The room was full of laughter and joy and I remember looking around and feeling full of pride that our little girl had done this — the little girl who, when she was born, we were made to feel by some people would be little more than a burden.
Roni being diagnosed with Down’s syndrome came out of the blue. I remember the doctors telling us how sorry they were. That sentiment was everywhere: when you have a baby with Down’s, no one says congratulations.
Yet to us Roni was just like any other baby. She was cute and curious. And while she was, and is, slower to hit her milestones, and will always face the challenges of her condition, she’s always been fiercely independent.
There’s no real reason why, with the right support, she cannot achieve what she wants like any other child.
A natural performer, Roni signed with Zebedee last year and has done TV adverts, campaigns, catwalk shows and appeared in TV shows. At her mainstream school they think she’s famous — kids shout: ‘You’re Roni’s mum.’
BEN COMES HOME BEAMING EVERY TIME
Ben Bird, 13, lives with his parents, Ray and Anna in Crawley, West Sussex. Anna, 57, is a nurse and Ray, 64, is an operations manager
Ben Bird, 13, lives with his parents, Ray and Anna in Crawley, West Sussex. Anna, 57, is a nurse and Ray, 64, is an operations manager. Ben is the youngest of six siblings: Nathan, 32, Dean, 30, Jamie, 28, Joshua, 25, and 22-year-old Jessica. Anna says:
When I became pregnant again at 43, we were both prepared for the fact that there was a higher chance of a chromosomal disorder — something that was confirmed in a test. But from the moment we set eyes on Ben, we just fell in love with him. He just fitted right into our family, and was doted on.
From the moment Ben could talk, he would sing, and is a natural performer, with a great memory for lines. Aged five, he joined a theatre academy, which he loved.
Since he’s been modelling and performing, Ben has gone from strength to strength. He’s been in training videos and worked on campaigns for Matalan and Lidl. Ben’s also done filming for CBBC.
He’s earned a few hundred pounds — enough to buy the odd toy — but the main thing is that each time he comes out beaming, and for us that’s what it’s all about.Now he’s a bit older, Ben knows he’s got Down’s syndrome, but it doesn’t worry him at all. He just sees it as meaning he needs a bit of help — which is pretty much the way we see it, too.
SHE WAS FEISTY FROM THE START
Grace Wharton, eight, lives on the Wirral with parents John and Cheryl
Grace Wharton, eight, lives on the Wirral with parents John and Cheryl. John, 47, is a lorry driver and Cheryl, 49, an animal nursing assistant. She has two older siblings, Hannah, 24, and 18-year-old Ethen. Cheryl says:
Grace was in hospital for five months after she was born. She had a couple of holes in her heart and a large gap where her oesophagus should have been.
She was really poorly, yet from the start she was also so feisty and strong-willed. I remember one of the nurses on the neonatal ward telling me that Grace would be running rings around us when she was two and she wasn’t wrong.
My eldest daughter calls her a sassy madam!
John and I were devastated when we first found out Grace had Down’s syndrome, but we quickly made a decision that we would embrace whatever came. That meant not listening to the doctors and their doom and gloom.
She started modelling when she was six because everyone always told us how cute she was. We went to a test shoot with Zebedee and from the moment she walked into the room and twerked in front of the photographers we knew she’d love it. She just comes to life in front of the camera. A few weeks later, we learned she’d been requested for a Disney campaign and last December she was in every UK Disney store.
For us it’s not about any money she earns — although it’s lovely that she can save something for her future — but the message it brings. Grace is just Grace: a funny, quirky individual, just like every other child.
When Grace was born, I used to walk down the street, paranoid that people were staring. It’s funny because now I’m so proud that I want everyone to look at her!
MAYBE GABRIEL CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Gabriel Sohotha, five, lives with parents Suky and Rebecca in Huddersfield
Gabriel Sohotha, five, lives with parents Suky and Rebecca in Huddersfield. Suky, 46, is an electrical engineer and Rebecca, 48, runs an arts school. Gabriel has an older sister, Ruby, 13. Rebecca says:
When Suky and I were told Gabriel had Down’s syndrome a few hours after he was born, we were both terrified.
We imagined all the things that we thought Gabriel was going to miss — playing football and going to university.
It was even more of an emotional rollercoaster for us because the pregnancy had been an amazing surprise. I’d struggled to conceive in my 30s and we adopted Ruby after two rounds of failed IVF. However, it didn’t take long to adapt to our new reality, especially once we got in touch with other families and saw how the only barriers were
