Saffron Autumn Barker (born 24 July 2000) is an English
influencer
An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...
,
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
r and
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
host. She is best known for her time on the
seventeenth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'',
the fifth series of ''
Celebrity Hunted
''Hunted'' is a British reality series that began airing on Channel 4 on 10 September 2015. The series features contestants who are instructed to go on the run for a period of 25 (originally 28) days in mainland Great Britain, whilst avoiding a ...
'', and as a runner-up on ''
The Celebrity Circle
''The Celebrity Circle'' for Stand Up to Cancer, a spin-off of '' The Circle'', began on 9 March 2021 on Channel 4, and concluded following six episodes on 15 March. The series was confirmed in June 2020, and was filmed during Autumn 2020 in its ...
''. In September 2019, ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' named Barker as their top female influencer.
Early life
Saffron was born in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, East Sussex, on 24 July 2000, to Darren and Wendy Barker. She has two biological brothers, Jed and Casey, and a
foster brother, Jordan. She attended
Longhill High School
Longhill High School is a co-educational secondary school for 11 to 16 year-olds, which is located in Rottingdean, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex.
History
The school was officially opened in 1964, although took its first intake in 1963. The s ...
in
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards.
Name
The name Rottingde ...
.
Career
2015–2016: Career beginnings
Barker was a member of four-piece girl band Born2Blush with bandmates Libby Whitehouse, Jazmine Tiley and Georgia McNamara. The group disbanded when she was 15-years-old, which seen her "left devastated", but it ultimately led to her opening a YouTube channel. Barker subsequently opened her self-titled YouTube account on 30 July 2015, where she still continues to create content about
lifestyle
Lifestyle often refers to:
* Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives
* ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle
* Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality
Lifestyle may also refer to:
Bus ...
and beauty, fashion and
fitness. On 27 October 2015, she opened a side channel, solely dedicated to
video blogging
A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...
. Barker has over 2 million subscribers on her main channel.
2017–2018: Kids' Choice Awards, digital series and YouTube Rewind
In March 2017, Saffron represented the United Kingdom in
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's first-ever 'Social Squad of Influencers' at the
2017 Kids' Choice Awards
The 30th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 11, 2017, at the Galen Center on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles and was broadcast live on Nickelodeon and either live or with tape delay across all of ...
in Los Angeles, California. In April, Barker and her family presented an original and exclusive six-episode series titled ''In My Day'' for television and
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
service
TalkTalk TV
TalkTalk TV is a UK-based consumer television and video on demand service, operated by the TalkTalk Group that originally launched in 2000. In September 2012, the current TalkTalk TV was launched in partnership with YouView. Its television an ...
. On 6 December 2017, she featured in YouTube's annual
YouTube Rewind
''YouTube Rewind'' (stylized as ''YouTube ЯEWIND'') was an annual video series produced and created by YouTube and Portal A Interactive from 2010 to 2019. The videos were an overview and a recap of each year's viral videos, events, trends, an ...
video. One year later, on 9 March 2018, she was named Nickelodeon's UK representative of their KCA PrankStars, a
collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...
of digital influencers chosen to partake in a prank war at the
2018 Kids' Choice Awards
The 31st Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 24, 2018, at The Forum in Inglewood, California live on Nickelodeon and either live or on tape delay across all of Nickelodeon's international networks. This was the third time t ...
in
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
.
2019–present: Rise to fame in mainstream media
On 1 August 2019, in an interview with
Heart Radio
Heart is a British radio network and brand of 13 adult contemporary local stations operated by Global throughout the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local and networked programming. Ten of the Heart stations are owned by Global, while th ...
, Saffron confirmed that she would be appearing as a contestant on the
seventeenth series of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
dance contest
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
''. She marked the second social media personality to take part in the competition's history after
Joe Sugg
Joseph Graham Sugg (born 8 September 1991) is an English YouTuber and actor. In 2012, he began posting videos on the YouTube channel ThatcherJoe, currently at over 7 million subscribers. In 2018, he was a finalist on the Strictly Come Dancing (s ...
. Barker's dance partner was
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...
series seven contestant,
AJ Pritchard
Alex Joseph Pritchard (born 5 November 1994) is a British dancer and choreographer. In 2013, he auditioned for the seventh series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' along with professional partner Chloe Hewitt, where they reached the semi-finals. From ...
. They were eliminated ten weeks in to the competition, on 24 November 2019, after facing
Karim Zeroual
Karim Zeroual (born 14 November 1993) is a British television presenter and actor.
Early life
Zeroual was born in London to parents of Moroccan heritage and was brought up by his mother. He attended theatre school in London.
Stage and televisi ...
and
Amy Dowden
Amy Dowden (born 10 August 1990) is a Welsh professional ballroom and Latin American dancer from Caerphilly, Wales, best known for her appearances on the BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Dowden joined the BBC series in 2017, an ...
in the dance-off.
In March 2020, Barker appeared on a one-off special edition of ''
The Greatest Dancer
''The Greatest Dancer'' is a British dance competition television series created by Simon Cowell and produced by Syco Entertainment. The first BBC programme created by Cowell, ''The Greatest Dancer'' sees previously undiscovered dance acts perfo ...
'' for
Sport Relief 2020, as a member of
dance troupe
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different list of dance ...
Don8. Her team won against Team Encore. Nine months later, in December, Barker was announced as one of the 12 contestants to appear on ''
The Celebrity Circle
''The Celebrity Circle'' for Stand Up to Cancer, a spin-off of '' The Circle'', began on 9 March 2021 on Channel 4, and concluded following six episodes on 15 March. The series was confirmed in June 2020, and was filmed during Autumn 2020 in its ...
''. It aired in March 2021, and seen Barker play as a
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
version of herself, instead of
catfishing
Catfishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim. The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in som ...
as someone else. She was named the runner-up, as
Lady Leshurr
Melesha Katrina O'Garro (born 15 December 1987), known professionally as Lady Leshurr (), is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. She is known for her ''Queen's Speech'' series of freestyles, the fourth of which became popular i ...
won the show after catfishing as British
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Big Narstie
Tyrone Mark Lindo (born 16 November 1985), known by his stage name Big Narstie, is a British MC, author, rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and television presenter. He started his career in 2002 as a member of grime crew "N Double A," though ...
.
In January 2022, Barker appeared as a contestant an episode of
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's ''
The Wheel'', hosted by
Michael McIntyre
Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is an English comedian, writer and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents his own Saturday night series, ''Michael Mc ...
. She came second place on the leaderboard. One month later, in February, she appeared as a contestant on
E4's ''
The Real Dirty Dancing
''The Real Dirty Dancing'' is an Australian talent show-themed television series that premiered on Seven Network on 30 September 2019. The series follows eight celebrities who revisit key locations and moments from the movie Dirty Dancing and l ...
'', a talent show hosted by
Keith Lemon
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
and
Ashley Roberts
Ashley Allyn Roberts (born September 14, 1981) is an American singer, dancer, and media personality. She is a member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls.
Roberts released her debut solo studio album, ''Butterfly E ...
, where ten celebrities paired up in couples to learn dance routines from
Dirty Dancing
''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...
. Barker's dance partner was
Lee Ryan
Lee Ryan (born 17 June 1983) is an English singer, songwriter and actor, best known as a member of the boy band Blue.
Ryan took part in the BBC series '' Strictly Come Dancing''. He was partnered with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova and was ...
, and they were named the winners of the competition.
In March 2023, Barker appeared in the
fifth series of
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's ''
Celebrity Hunted
''Hunted'' is a British reality series that began airing on Channel 4 on 10 September 2015. The series features contestants who are instructed to go on the run for a period of 25 (originally 28) days in mainland Great Britain, whilst avoiding a ...
'', where she was paired up with former
University Challenge
''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...
contestant and mathematician
Bobby Seagull. Barker and Seagull had 48 hours left before reaching the extraction point, but decided to split up. Barker got caught by the Hunters after a member of the public told them her exact whereabouts.
Other media and projects
Clothing and homeware ranges
In October 2017, Barker launched a
homeware Home accessories are furniture items which are easy to replace and easy to move, and include almost any items that are not strictly functionally necessary in a decorated space. These accessories include such items as curtains, sofa sets, cushions, t ...
,
stationery
Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) ...
, and
loungewear
Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasis ...
range with Irish fashion retailer
Primark
Primark Stores Limited (; trading as Penneys in the Republic of Ireland) is an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It has stores across Europe and in the United States. The Penneys brand is not u ...
. In May 2020, she launched a loungewear range with In The Style.
Podcasts
In November 2020, Saffron tried her hand at podcast hosting for the first time, in a weekly podcast which she co-hosted with her mother, Wendy Barker, titled "Mum Made Me Do It". It was created and published by
Global Player and ran for a total of eight months, with the
final episode being broadcast on 28 May 2021. Barker made her return to podcasting in October 2022, when she started hosting a new
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
original podcast, titled "Sex, Lies & DM Slides" with her close friend Anastasia Kingsnorth, where they discuss "the cringey, the cute and the outright awkward".
Philanthropy and charity work
In April 2019, Saffron ran the
2019 London Marathon
The 2019 London Marathon was the 39th running of the annual marathon race in London, United Kingdom, which took place on 28 April. The elite men's race was won by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who took his fourth London Marathon victory in a time of ...
with her friend and personal trainer, Ross Scrivener, to fundraise for
Alzheimer's Research UK
Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) is a dementia research charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1992 as the Alzheimer's Research Trust.
ARUK funds scientific studies to find ways to treat, cure or prevent all forms of dementia, including Alzhei ...
and
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research Charitable organization, charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charitieAlzheimer Scotlandand Alzheimer's ...
's 'Dementia Revolution' campaign in memory of her great-grandfather, who died of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
when she was 11 years old.
During
the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, Barker launched the #YouTube4NHSHeroes charity project, where she donated all of her monthly
advertising revenue
Advertising revenue is the monetary income that individuals and businesses earn from displaying paid advertisements on their websites, social media channels, or other platforms surrounding their internet-based content. In September 2018, the U.S ...
from her weekly videos directly to the
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
' "Charities Together COVID-10" appeal. She encouraged other content creators to do the same by uploading a video of their choice and also pledging their ad revenue to the cause for a 'Super Saturday' fundraising event, in hopes that viewers would watch the videos and advertisements to boost the donated amount. In the same month, Barker was one of the many UK-based social media personalities to present the four-hour long "#WithMe" YouTube
livestream
Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
, discussing tips on 'how to stay upbeat through
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
', whilst raising money for the NHS Charities Together partnership. She was
joined virtually by AJ Pritchard and Curtis Pritchard.
In September 2020, Barker supported the Digital Detox Day campaign which encouraged internet users to take time off social media for 24 hours. It was held on Saturday, 5 September 2020. In November 2020, she surprised a 16-year-old
autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
young carer
A young carer is a young person who cares, unpaid, for a person who has any type of physical or mental illness, physical and/or mental disability or misuses substances such as alcohol or drugs. The age of a young carer varies between countries. F ...
from the
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...
, who suffers with
OCD and
severe anxiety, with a
National Lottery Award via video message.
Personal life
Saffron resides in Brighton. She previously lived in
Woodingdean
Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse. The name Woodingdean came from Woodendean (i.e. wooded valley) Farm which was situ ...
with her family. She did not attend college, as she wanted to pursue her YouTube career instead.
Online controversies
In a now-deleted video which was originally uploaded in 2018, Barker faced backlash when she
rolled her eyes and complained about her train journey being delayed, after a person had died by suicide. Barker later issued a
mea culpa
' is a Latin phrase that means "my fault" or "my mistake" and is an acknowledgement of having done wrong. The expression is used also as an admission of having made a mistake that should have been avoided, and may be accompanied by beating the br ...
in the form of an apology video, where she explained her frustrations were 'not with the victim, but the situation'. She said: "I completely understand how insensitive my comments were. I can see how it would appear that I wasn’t being considerate of the awful incident but in no way did I mean it like that. My frustrations were not towards the victim but the overall situation. Anyone that knows me knows there was no disrespect."
Saffron and her ''Strictly'' dance partner, AJ Pritchard, faced criticism from the public, after they did not wear
poppies Poppies can refer to:
*Poppy, a flowering plant
*The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses
*''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation
*"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia''
*"Poppies", th ...
on the Saturday, 2 November 2019 episode, ahead of
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
, whilst other contestants did, but Barker later stated this was because of
a lift in the duo's dance routine. Three days later, Barker and Pritchard sold poppies to
railway commuters outside of London's
Waterloo Station
Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Saffron
21st-century English women
2000 births
Beauty and makeup YouTubers
British Internet celebrities
English video bloggers
English YouTubers
Lifestyle YouTubers
Living people
People from Brighton
People from Brighton and Hove
Social media influencers
YouTube vloggers