Winter Love Island star Ron Hall has been announced as the new celebrity ambassador for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The 25-year-old from Essex and his partner Lana Jenkins were alongside winners Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan in the final of the spinoff back in March this year.
He was the first partially sighted islander to enter the villa in South Africa.
Ron revealed on the ITV2 dating show that he was visually impaired after losing his sight in one eye while playing football at the age of eight.
Love Island’s Ron Hall is the new celeb ambassador for RNIB
Posting on Instagram on Sunday (June 18), he said: “I had to quickly adjust to the changes and wasn’t offered much guidance on how to cope with the challenges that I would have to face.
“I’ve been so lucky to have an amazing family behind me that have helped me along the way on this journey and always made my life as easy as it could possibly be however at times it has been tough.
“I’m fortunate to have been given this platform and I want to use it to the best of my ability to support others in similar situations to mine and act as a role model to the younger generation.”
He also said he is “genuinely ecstatic” about the role with the RNIB as he is proud to help the charity to “raise awareness and provide support to people living with sight loss”.
On Twitter, the official RNIB account revealed the news in a video with Ron appearing alongside his father, Rodney Hall, to coincide with Father’s Day.
When asked what advice he would give to families dealing with sight loss, he explained: “One of the biggest concerns that they have is ‘I’m worried for what he’s going to be like in the future.’”
“When it comes down to things like sports, depth perception, it takes you a hell of a long time to get back to where you was because you have to adjust.
“But just trust that your body does it. I do not get stopped from doing anything that I want to do.”
RNIB’s chief social change officer, Vivienne Francis, said: “Greater representation on TV is so important and is a catalyst to start conversations about inclusivity, challenging misconceptions of those living with sight loss, and can go a long way to increasing participation.
“We were backing Ron all the way in his stint in the ITV Love Island villa.
“Since then, Ron has helped RNIB in a number of ways to help break down barriers for blind and partially sighted people.
“We are grateful for his support, and we’re excited to continue working with him.”
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