A leading voice on mental health and eating disorder awareness, Hope Virgo previously suffered from personal battles of Anorexia and mental health issues. Having since recovered from her own struggles, Hope has become the author of Stand Tall Little Girl and Hope Through Recovery along with passionately helping others to overcome eating disorders and mental illness. A leading keynote speaker, Hope is booked to cover topics such as managing mental health, recovery, workplace wellbeing, raising awareness and challenging stigma.
As a child, Hope struggled with her emotions and developed an eating disorder aged just 12. Suffering in silence with her mental health and Anorexia for four years, Hope was ultimately admitted to a mental health hospital for recovery in 2007. For the following year, Hope lived in the mental hospital battling for her life on the journey to being well again. Since her recovery, Hope has become an Ambassador of the Shaw Mind Foundation and champions the rights of others battling mental illness, advocating that eating disorders aren't always visible.
Amongst her advocacy for mental health and eating disorders, Hope has also been a Corporate Partnership Executive for UNICEF UK and a Stakeholder Relations Officer for the Alzheimer’s Society- further demonstrating her passions for helping others. Over the course of her career, Hope has been sought to speak on various major broadcasts, including for the likes of BBC News, Good Morning Britain, BBC Newsnight and Victoria Derbyshire. She is also widely known for fronting the #DumpTheScales campaign, with which she was able to deliver two government debates at a high level and firmly solidify eating disorder awareness on the Government’s agenda.
Now booked as a keynote speaker for a variety of events, Hope has addressed both corporate and educational clients on the rising epidemic of mental health issues and how crucially important it is to pay attention to them. From schools to businesses and hospitals, there are few organisations that Hope hasn’t spoken to on raising awareness of mental health and breaking the stigma that surrounds the topical subject. Sharing her personal harrowing story of battling Anorexia, Hope advises her audiences on how to support people with eating disorders or mental illness, what to not say to those who are suffering and the skills needed to help prevent mental illness. A fantastic mental health advocate, when looking for a speaker who empowers mental wellbeing look no further than Hope Virgo.
Social Media
Books
You Are Free (Even If You Don't Feel Like It): Mental Health, Faith and Finding Your Way
Stand Tall Little Girl: Facing Up To Anorexia
Hope Through Recovery: Your Guide to Moving Forward When in Recovery from an Eating Disorder
How to hire Hope Virgo
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Hope Virgo for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Hope's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Parents specific
- Managing your mental health
- Workplace wellbeing
- Recovery
- The story of me and my best friend Anorexia
- Raising awareness & challenging the stigma
- Raising awareness & enabling our future generation to talk openly
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Her audience, both online and in the room, followed her on her epic journey every step of the way. "Recovery is possible -The story of me and my best friend anorexia" made you forget your work phone is in your pocket as you want to know how she made it through the trauma to become a published author, campaigner and media spokesperson for eating disorders and mental health. She's honest and genuine and can adapt her presentation to suit your needs. If you book Hope for a wellbeing session, encourage your employees to leave their desks to listen to her story. They will remember it and tell people about it, which will help to end the mental health stigma" - Paul, Civil Service HR, Cabinet Office
"Hope delivers a very real and important message about coping with mental illness. She connects very well with her audience especially given this very personal and sensitive subject. It was a pleasure welcoming her to speak at our Mental Health Awareness Week" - Kamran, Head of Credit, Royal Bank of Canada
"At our Mental Health Conference Hope delivered her hugely insightful and moving personal story. Hope openly speaks with an evident passion on the topic of eating disorders and mental health in general, leaving audiences touched not only by her own story but with the hope that struggling with mental health doesn’t limit what you can do in life." - Andrew, HR, Royal Bank of Scotland
“Hope’s story and presentation was genuinely the most touching and inspirational we have had at Barnsley College.” - Jimmy , PSD (Personal, Social, Development) Officer, Barnsley College
“Hope Virgo is an amazing and inspirational citizen and Citizenship speaker. Hope’s session at The Bishop's Stortford High School, delivered to over 320 students, was beyond brilliant. Speaking with perfect eloquence, pace, passion, humility, insight and honesty, Hope told her very moving, emotional and illuminating story of her experience of anorexia and gave invaluable and ground-breaking advice and wisdom to students about eating disorders, mental health and life generally. As mental health and well-being education rightly increases in schools, the better to support and empower our students, Hope Virgo will be an ever more vital mental health and well-being champion of everyone in society. Hope Virgo is massively changing the world for the better and The Bishop’s Stortford High School recommends her professional and poignant presentation in the very highest terms.” - Simon, The Bishops Stortford High School
“Hope helped us understand the reality of living with a mental illness as a young personal whilst at the same time offering positive, practical advice on supporting students who may be struggling.” - Simon Carby, Group Director of Education for Cognita
"Having worked in pastoral care for many years, I have struggled to find guest speakers who can connect with an audience consisting for students ranging from the ages of 11-18. Hope was fantastic. Her warm delivery helped to relax the audience. Her story is powerful, being able to hear about her struggles, and the success coming out the other side was empowering. The delivery normalised mental health issues acknowledging that mental health issues do exists but can be managed with support. The fact that so many students requested to stay on for the workshops was a testament to the quality of the presentation. Practical advice was pitched at the right level for the students, and the question and answer session, along with the opportunity to speak at the end, meant that students left with the right amount of knowledge required. One of the students who attended the workshop went immediately to speak to a member of staff to seek further help having previously spoken little about their worries. There is no doubt that this came as a direct impact of the talk and workshop. Another student came to ask me about your website and book. Making mental health issues seem normal is the only way to empower young people to seek support, and Hope did this brilliantly. Eating and image issues are often the hardest ones to get people to admit to, I honestly think that this session will have been a real starting point for many of those who attended.” - Chris, Deputy Head, Silcoates School
“Hope shared a most honest and compelling insight into her story. It was both informative and inspiring. Our students were highly engaged by Hope’s powerful presence and ability to tell her story in such a captivating way. One of our best guest speakers” - Woodbridge High School
- 2021 - Author of 'Hope Through Recovery'
- 2017 - Ambassador of Shaw Mind Foundation
- 2016 - Author of 'Stand Tall Little Girl'
- 2015 - Stakeholder Relations Officer for the Alzheimer's Society
- 2014 - National Account Officer for the Alzheimer's Society
- 2013 - Corporate Partnership Executive for UNICEF UK
