Love Island finalist Ron Hall has become a celebrity ambassador for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The 25-year-old financial adviser, from Essex, was the first partially sighted contestant to appear on the ITV2 reality dating show.
He came second alongside Lana Jenkins to winning couple Sanam Harrinanan and Kai Fagan in the South African version of the series in March.
Hall is visually impaired after losing his sight in one eye while playing football at the age of eight.
Hall said in an Instagram post on Sunday: “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”.
A social media video by the charity was also released, with Hall appearing alongside his father, Rodney Hall, to coincide with Father’s Day.
He said he wants to send the message that people with sight loss are “normal” and the only difference is he “can only see out of one eye”.
📢Announcement! We’re over the moon to say that Ron Hall is our new Celebrity Ambassador. 🎉1/5 pic.twitter.com/tNNewXtGpd
— RNIB (@RNIB) June 18, 2023
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.”