Zoë Elizabeth Sugg (born 28 March 1990), also known by her online name Zoella, is an English media personality, entrepreneur and author. She began her career as a YouTuber in 2009 and has since amassed over 10 million subscribers.
Her debut novel, Girl Online, was published in November 2014 and broke the record for highest first-week sales of a first-time novelist. She has since released two sequels and a non-fiction book, Cordially Invited, and later co-wrote the book duology The Magpie Society with Amy McCulloch.
Contents
Early life
Zoë Elizabeth Sugg was born in Lacock, Wiltshire, on 28 March 1990. She has a younger brother, Joe Sugg, who is also a YouTuber. She attended The Corsham School in nearby Corsham. She earned A-levels in art, photography, and textiles, but did not attend university due to her anxiety disorder and not knowing what she wanted to do later in life.
Career
2009–2013: Career beginnings
Sugg was working as an apprentice at an interior design company when she created her blog, "Zoella", in February 2009. By the end of the year it had a thousand followers and as of September 2015 it had received over 540 million total visits. The fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog expanded into a YouTube channel in 2009, while Sugg was working for British clothing retailer New Look. Sugg's main channel, Zoella, first named "zoella280390" after her birth date, is mostly fashion, beauty hauls, and "favourites" videos (showing her favourite products of the previous month). Her second channel, MoreZoella, contains mostly vlogs where she shows her viewers what she does in her day. She is a member of the Style Haul network and is represented by Dominic Smales at Gleam Futures. In 2013, Sugg was mentioned by The Telegraph as one of "Britain's most influential Tweeters". In 2013, she was named as one of the National Citizen Service's ambassadors, helping to promote the newly launched youth service. The following year, she was named as the first "digital ambassador" for Mind, the mental health charity.
2014–2019: Zoella brands, book releases and media appearances
Sugg launched a range of beauty products under the brand name Zoella Beauty in September 2014. The "bath and beauty" range launch was, according to the Metro, the "biggest beauty launch of the year". The products were developed and manufactured by Gloucestershire-based family-owned company SLG Allstars Ltd. She launched an edition of the products called "Tutti Fruity" in 2015, as well as a limited Christmas edition. Sugg has been a director of ZS Beauty Ltd, a wholesaler of perfume and cosmetics, since 2016. In 2016, Sugg launched an edition called "Sweet Inspirations", followed by other ranges including "Jelly & Gelato", "Splash Botanics" and "Fruit Medley".
In September 2016, Sugg released a collection of home-ware products, including stationery, candles and reed diffusers. Sugg has been a director of ZS Lifestyle Ltd since 2016.
In June 2014, Sugg was a guest panellist on the daytime chat show Loose Women. She also appeared on This Morning in July 2014 to talk about social anxiety. In 2014, Sugg signed a two-book deal with Penguin Books. The North American publishing rights were purchased by Atria. Sugg's debut novel, Girl Online, was released on 25 November 2014. The book is aimed at a young adult audience and surrounds a 15-year-old anonymous blogger and what happens when her blog goes viral. While based around her similar experiences, Sugg has stated that the book is "in no way autobiographical". The novel achieved the highest first-week sales for a debut author since Nielsen BookScan began compiling such records in 1998, with 78,109 copies. As of December 2014, it was the fastest selling book of the year. Penguin stated that "Sugg did not write Girl Online on her own", stating that she had "worked with an expert editorial team to help her bring to life her characters and experiences in a heartwarming and compelling story". It was reported that young-adult novelist Siobhan Curham was a ghostwriter for the novel, although neither Penguin nor Sugg confirmed this; Penguin stated that Curham was an editorial consultant for the novel.
Sugg, along with The Slow Mo Guys and Vice News, featured in television, print, and billboard advertisements by YouTube in the UK which ran from 25 September 2014. The prime time TV adverts were broadcast on the three terrestrial UK channels. Sugg then featured on the 2014 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" as part of the Band Aid 30 charity supergroup, raising money for the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. The single debuted at No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart. Sugg also took part in the 2015 Comic Relief edition of The Great British Bake Off. A sequel to Girl Online, titled Girl Online: On Tour, was released on 20 October 2015. A third book, Girl Online: Going Solo, was published on 17 November 2016. Sugg's books, alongside those by other YouTubers, were criticised in 2017 for 'not being challenging enough' in a number of UK newspapers.
2019–present: Business interests and The Magpie Society
In February 2019, it was announced that Sugg had worked on a limited edition makeup range with ColourPop Cosmetics, based on 70s fashion. In April 2019, Sugg announced Filmm, a mobile photography app that she co-developed with Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman. In August 2020, Sugg collaborated on a homeware range with Etsy, featuring products co-curated by herself and independent Etsy sellers.
On 29 October 2020, The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow, a young adult fiction novel she co-authored with Amy McCulloch, was released. The book details events at an elite boarding school from the points of view of two girls – Ivy, written by Sugg, and Audrey, written by McCulloch. It was stated by Sugg that the book would act as the first of a series, with a sequel titled The Magpie Society: Two for Joy which was released in 2021.
Personal life
Sugg has been in a relationship with vlogger Alfie Deyes since October 2012. They made their relationship public in a blog post by Sugg in August 2013. They became engaged in September 2023. They had their first daughter in August 2021, and their second daughter in December 2023. The family reside in Brighton.
Sugg attracted criticism from the media in November 2017 after releasing a 12-door £50 advent calendar, with the "extortionate price" and alleged poor quality receiving attention. The calendar contained items such as a small pack of confetti, a packet of seven stickers, and cookie cutters. A spokesperson for Sugg said, "Zoe is incredibly proud of the Christmas collection and excited to see it in store. However, the pricing and in-store promotional strategy of the collection, including the calendar, is at the control of third parties and is not set by Zoe."
Also in November 2017, Sugg apologised following controversy surrounding posts she had made on social media between 2009 and 2012 mocking gay people and "fat chavs". She responded on Twitter, claiming the posts had been "taken out of context" and writing, "I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, that was not my intention."
Since January 2026, Sugg has been on an extended social media break, leaving fans uncertain as to her whereabouts and concerned over her health.