SAMANTHA Renke is an award-winning actress and disability campaigner.
The 36-year-old made a name for herself in 2016 after starring in a Maltesers advert about her disability.
Who is Samantha Renke?
Samantha was born in Germany and raised in Lancashire.
She is an actress and public speaker who currently lives in east London.
She previously worked as a teacher before moving to London several years ago to pursue a career in acting.
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Renke made her debut in an independent film called Little Devil and went on to win best actress at the LA Diversity Film Festival.
She is a columnist for the Metro and has written for The Huffington Post and PosAbility magazine.
She is a supporter of the disability charity Scope and a patron of Head2Head Theatre Company.
What is Osteogenesis Imperfecta?
Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as Brittle Bone disease, is a genetic condition characterised by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause.
The condition can vary quite drastically from person to person so a classification system has been identified to describe the different types of OI which is commonly used to help determine how severely a person is affected.
It is caused by a genetic mutation that affects the body’s production of collagen, which can be found throughout the body, especially in a person’s bones and other tissues.
Symptoms include frequently fractured bones, muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, blue sclerae, brittle teeth, and short stature amongst other medical problems.
When did Samantha Renke star in a Malteasers ad?
Samantha appeared in an ad for Maltesers back in 2016.
In the ad, she's seen making a joke about running over the bride’s foot, but getting “the best man’s number”.
The adverts ran on Channel 4 during the Paralympics after Mars Chocolate UK won a competition run by the broadcaster with the brief “look on the light side of disability” and were given £1m-worth of airtime for “developing a bold, creative idea which puts disability and diversity at the heart of their campaign”.
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Unfortunately for Samantha, the adverts saw her targeted with hate speech on social media.
She said in 2016: "'I didn't expect at age 30 that I would be at the end of this hate speech. But I have been bullied throughout my life.
"For me, I've never had people come up and say horrible things to my face but the internet gives people anonymity to hide behind. It allows us to be quite nasty towards each other.
"I feel exposed - everyone thinks they know me and have the right to say things about me."
What else has Samantha Renke starred in?
Samantha has starred in a number of popular TV shows.
Her credits include Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Rip Off Britain, Sunday Morning Live, Loose Women, Jeremy Vine, Badass Women’s Hour, Morning Live, How To Spend It Well At Christmas, How To Beat…Ageing, The Disability Paradox, Front Rowand Word of Mouth.
Is Samantha Renke married?
It is believed that Samantha is currently not in a relationship.
In 2015, she told The Telegraph newspaper that she enjoys dating, but is fiercely independent.
She said: "Not to blow my own trumpet but I’m a good dresser, people think I’m attractive, I have blonde hair and blue eyes.
"I do attract good-looking guys. I have had people be like, 'oh they’re just friends right'?
“They can’t comprehend someone muscly or attractive would possibly be with me. But it’s like, what do you think we do on weekends? Play chess? It goes back to their own insecurities that they can’t visual dating someone in a wheelchair and if they couldn’t how could anyone else?”
"We’re [people with a disability] are like everyone else. We do want to date and we’re probably more comfortable in our own skin that a lot of people.
"I have worked very hard on becoming independent because I want a lover, not a carer. "If you do embark on a relationship with someone in a wheelchair, you don’t necessarily have to help them domestically."
