Ebbw Vale mum becomes TikTok sensation with traveller videos

Mum Wendy Louise Jones, 42, from Ebbw Vale, began her TikTok journey in December last year, and today has over 34,000 followers.

The mum of four created mixed videos of her decorating her house, her hospital journey, her traveller background and she now plans to tackle cleaning videos.

Wendy is overwhelmed by becoming a local celebrity and says it can only get better from here.

She said: “I feel overwhelmed by all the attention, from The Sun, The Mirror, The Star and now The Mail.

“I was on holiday in turkey and my friends sent me a link to an article about me in The Sun, they told me you're famous and, of course, I felt overwhelmed.

“I mean I have only been on TikTok since Christmas and in a short amount of time I have been in fifteen different news articles in the last week, and now in The Daily Mail and the Argus, it’s crazy.

“There are other travellers on TikTok and sometimes I think 'why they are interested in me?'”

The 42-year-old traveller was born in a caravan on the Cwmcrachen traveller site. She was born with a cleft pallet so her parents had to move off site for her health.

At 16 she returned to the site but now lives in a house of her own.

However, it hasn’t always been an easy journey for her as she almost died in January due to a gallstone blockage in her liver, sepsis and pancreatitis.

She added: “I was devastated, my kids were devastated as I almost died. I had two operations and I am now six weeks into recovery.

“I have good days and bad ones, but I think what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?

“TikTok kept me going while I was tucked in bed, but now I am better it can only improve from here and I am really going to try harder.

“It has given me the inspiration I need; I wish I did it sooner as I wasn’t interested in it during the pandemic when everybody was on it.”

Ms Louise told the Argus that her daughter is delighted she is a TikTok sensation as she a fan of the platform. Ms Louise is a university graduate, a teacher working with children with additional needs and an army cadet instructor, and she doesn’t plan to stop there.

Wendy on Tiktok

After becoming a viral sensation, she hopes she can inspire other travellers in her community to follow their dreams. Travellers are now encouraged to go to school for an education, she explained.

She added: “I want to inspire travellers to say that they can do whatever they put their mind if they want then to have proper education and job.

“The world is their oyster, I mean I’ve only been a teacher for a few weeks as I had to qualify first and get my grades. I am graduating, so if I can do it, they can too.

“It was hard trying to do university when I was ill, but I persevered and got my degree and life is good now."

Ms Louise grew up alone, as her grandparents and parents passed away when she was a teenager. She suffers from mental health issues and her children and TikTok keep her inspired.

Now, she says she can’t wait to plan her next move. She plans to do some cleaning videos next as well as one on her graduation day on Tuesday.

She said: “If it is like this now, imagine what it would be like in a year. I can’t wait to do a graduation video, I am doing one to the song called I am proud to be a traveller.”