'ATTENTION everyone!' the director shouted, her voice cutting through the chatter. Actors wearing elaborate costumes and make up scrambled into their positions. 13 Vogue model Georgia hid her hearing aids for 10 years from casting agents and boyfriends Credit: instagram/@georgiameacham/ 13 Deaf model Georgia Meacham now wears her hearing aids with pride Credit: Olivia West I quickly dumped my hearing aids in my bag and got into place.
I could no longer hear the director so I was lip reading instead. My heart pounded as I tried to work out quickly what she was telling me - often having to guess. For ten years, this is how I got through castings , catwalks and filming, deceiving everyone I worked with.
It was like living a double life on set - my actual job as a model and an actress and then the even harder role of keeping my disability a secret. It was beyond exhausting and made work ten times harder. Looking back, I don’t know how I managed to do it for so long.
After receiving a modelling contract at 18, I didn’t want to tell anyone I was deaf - and managed to keep up the facade for over a decade. I even featured in major Hollywood blockbusters such as Bridget Jones’ Baby and Wonder Woman 1984 by lipreading my cues. Ten years 'in hiding' My jet-setting career took me all over the world and I modelled for designers such as Stella McCartney, Karen Millen, Ted Baker and featured in Vogue.
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