From ‘a s*it hand of cards’ to Celebrity Big Brother & taking DOWN Lee Andrews… my mad day with ‘Council Estate Queen’

FROM humble beginnings come great things, so the saying goes. In the age of the internet, few demonstrate this better than one Council Estate Queen, aka Lily D. An unlikely influencer – no pouting, no #ads and not a scintilla of rampant narcissism – nonetheless, an influencer she is: one amassing 2.5million followers, and an incredibly loyal fanbase. Lily D grew up in poverty on a council estate but turned her turbulent childhood into comedy content Credit: Simon Jones Her schtick is two-fold: hilarious, observational comedy and skits under her council estate moniker – a nod to her childhood on one of Manchester’s toughest streets – plus her personal account, Lily D, which details emotional hardships like an abusive ex-boyfriend and mental health issues. But her overall message is one of joyful positivity – or as Lily says: “turning pain into purpose – it doesn’t matter where you’re from, it’s where you’re going that matters.” And purpose she has, filming and editing up to five videos a day, working with various charitable organisations and, well, ensuring she need never again worry about where her next meal might come from. Whilst, understandably, keen not to share her precise salary, off-camera she tells me, shyly. Suffice to say I am in the wrong job. In her first sit-down national newspaper interview, Lily says: “I didn’t set out to do this. I didn’t know it was an option. “It really began in lockdown, I just started doing videos of my pets to pass the time and then found this app called TikTok. “Once I got a bit more comfortable I started to do a few dances and show off my personality a bit. Then I thought ‘well, what can I do that I can really sink my teeth into?’ “And I thought, ‘I can tell stories about growing up on a council estate because that’s so easy to tell, I’ve got stories for days. Then, bam! Within a week I had 100,000 followers… and the rest, as they say, is history.” Lily’s online content is a nod to her childhood on one of Manchester’s toughest streets Credit: TikTok/@thecouncilestatequeen Lily also opens up about personal hardships including an abusive-ex and mental health woes – but keeps her message joyful and positive Credit: Supplied Indeed it is. In the subsequent five and a half years, Lily’s followers have rocketed, and she regularly gets recognised. (“The first time it happened I was in aisle seven of Sainsbury’s, I think”). Indeed, cheating from Manchester’s trendy private members club Soho House, she gets “spotted”. She boasts a raft of celeb fans including Rag n’ Bone man (who invited her and her dad down to a private gig), Vogue Williams, Celeb Traitors star Joanne McNally, Transformers actress Sophia Myles and Jimmy Carr. But over the past four months she has also come to the social media fore with her ingenious takedown of Katie Price’s conman husband, Lee Andrews. Her near-daily posts – showing Lily dressed-up in an orange prison jumpsuit and half-bald toupee in a nod to his jail antics and overnight hair system – have been shared and reposted over 50 million times. She is supported by Lee’s ex’s Alana Percival and Dina Taji, as wellas hoards of Katie Price fans. ”I like Katie, she’s achieved a lot,” she says. “But, well, Lee… he’s fair game isn’t he? In five and a half years, Lily’s followers have rocketed and she regularly gets recognised when out and about Credit: TikTok/@ councilestatequeen2 While Lily’s fame is now going mainstream – she is regularly asked to appear on TV shows Credit: Supplied ”Some of the things he has come out with are just comical. His lies! ”There is, of course, a more serious side to some of the allegations against him and I am aware of these, so I try and be mindful. I have blocked him now though….” Her most popular video has been viewed by 11million people – around one in five of the UK population – and she racks-up between 80-100,000 million views a month across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. She also has more followers than, say, Sting. Not bad for a girl who grew up in such extreme hardship – her troubled parents were both drug users, meaning she effectively had to raise her younger siblings. “I remember looking in the cupboards for food and when there was nothing else, there was always some butter, sugar, flour and some carrots. I mix it all up, and tell my siblings I’d made them a cake so they’d have something to eat.” She says growing up on a council estate in the nineties wasn’t easy and not helped later by shows like Benefits Street which portrayed some working class people as “scroungers”. “There are a lot of stereotypes out there,” she adds. Lily’s most popular video has been viewed by 11million people – around one in five of the UK population Credit: Simon Jones Lily’s screen time on her two phones proves how hard she works producing videos for her loyal fans Credit: Simon Jones “People do judge. I was bullied a bit at school, and sometimes kids wouldn’t want to play with me because I was from a council estate. Kids can be cruel. “There is nothing wrong with being on benefits, to be clear – lots of people are because they’re struggling to work or have kids and it’s hard, or they physically can’t work. “But having no food on the table, and seeing my parents relying on thebenefits, it became very apparent we were poor and it gave me the impetus to go the other way. I didn’t want to rely on the state, or rely on anybody ever again. It gave me the drive.” Hearing Lily speak, it is clear she is fiercely bright. Oh, and generous. Greeting me for lunch, she comes armed with gifts including my favourite brand of candle (“oh don’t worry, it was a freebie!”, she shrugs cheerfully, and then veritably fights me at the end of our meal (we both had steak and chips) to pay. I have dined with multi-millionaire celebrities, and only one has ever offered to pay. Truly, being in her presence is a joy. Articulate, extremely modest and passionate about helping others, after leaving college Lily completed an apprenticeship to become a mechanic. She then worked three jobs at a time – for Citizen’s Advice Bureau, at her mate’s sunbed shop and pulling pints in a pub at night (she also had a brief stint in a Costcutter) – before travelling to Egypt to become an entertainer. Today, of course, she is on track for early retirement. (“Oh but I’m not flash, I still live in a council flat… although it’s quite a posh one… but I have now bought a house as a rental investment”.) While her fame is now going mainstream – she is regularly asked to appear on TV shows, and her fans are desperate to see her in the Celebrity Big Brother house alongside Andrews – she works bloody hard for it. Albeit in fancy dress costumes, not down a mine. So, what’s your screen time, Lil? ”Ohh how do I find that?”, she asks. After showing her how, she inspects her two mobiles (content creators “need two”, apparently). It makes for eye-watering reading. Lily dressed-up in an orange prison jumpsuit and half-bald toupee in a nod to Lee Andrews’ jail antics Credit: Simon Jones Lily insists she likes Katie Price but says Lee is ‘fair game’ Credit: Instagram/@wesleeeandrews “Nineteen hours!!!! Oh my God. That’s awful isn’t it?! When do I sleep?” Not much, it seems. After our interview, gamely she spends an additional hour filming “content” with me, and making me do my first ever TikTok dance. She looks natural and funny, I look like I have a gun to my head. Now, she is passionate about giving back and, after escaping an abusive relationship, is now an Ambassador for Salford Survivors Project. She also regularly refers her followers to the National Domestic Abuse helpline, and says hundreds of women have messaged her to say they escaped their toxic relationships because of her. “A few women have messaged me to say I saved their life… I’m not sure I did, but all of the incredible messages like that make it all worthwhile.” Certainly 38-year-old Derbyshire based Lily’s backstory makes for hard reading. A 12 month relationship with her physically violent ex resulted in him serving a six month prison sentence. She was forced to relocate after his release. Since finding fame, she has also had a stalker who was reported to police. Lily is an Ambassador for Salford Survivors Project and is passionate about giving back Credit: Simon Jones I hope people might hear my story and know they can do whatever they want too, inspiringly says Lily Credit: Tiktok/@https://www.tiktok.com/@councilestatequeen In a separate incident, on February 14th 2023 her dad, John, was attacked and left in a critical condition – in a coma for a year – and is now severely mentally handicapped. The assailant received a life sentence, but could serve just nineyears despite the fact John now requires full-time care. It’s been a lot. Lily, who has been left with complex PTSD, is on anti-depressants andhas regular therapy, but remains one of the most upbeat people youcould ever hope to meet. And it’s because of all this that she remains incredibly private aboutsome aspects of her life. Fame may court her, but she doesn’t court fame. She smiles: “I try not to trauma dump on people too much. ”And, like, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night having one of my night terrors and whip my phone out to film it. Some stuff stays private. “But I have built such a community online, and the connections I’ve made, the people I have helped, are worth their weight in gold. “I do lots of community projects now but the goal is to set up a Foundation for people who have been through stuff like me. “I’m also working on telling my life story in a video format and that’s gonna be like a six to eight part thing, and I’ve been doing some illustrations and artwork which I’ve been sharing it with my audience and they’re telling me I need to do a book. I do need to do a book. “I got dealt a shitty hand of cards as a kid, but here I am. I love what I do, I never imagined this could be my job, and I get to to put a smile on peoples’ faces every single day. “I hope people might hear my story and know they can do whatever theywant, too.”