Our favourite night of the year is upon us once again — the night we celebrate all of the women who have inspired us, entertained us and empowered us over the course of the year. Yes, we are talking about the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2024, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy Ring.
On Tuesday 1 October, GLAMOUR hosted its 18th annual award show at Raffles at the OWO in London. We welcomed back comedian Katherine Ryan as our host for the fourth year running, along with guests from music, television, film, and sport, all of whom have used their platforms to champion female empowerment this year.
After the stars walked the red carpet, Ryan began the evening with a characteristically hilarious but equally empowering opening speech.
She began with a shout-out to her husband: “I love my current husband. He’s my best friend. In the way that a dog is man’s best friend. There’s no one on earth that I would rather be with. Which is disappointing because I deserve better. (He’s a lovely man, a gentle father.)” she joked, before adding, “But what I'm getting at is that women deserve better than what we are receiving from men on a global scale."
Ryan went on to address the epidemic of violence against women and girls and the paradoxes of feminism, before concluding, “Plenty has been done, but there’s so much still to do. Tonight, we celebrate women who bravely push the envelope for continued change.”
GLAMOUR's European Editorial Director Deborah Joseph then took to the stage. “Tonight marks the 18th year of these inspirational awards,” she began. “And it’s truly special to see so many brilliant women and friends of GLAMOUR in the room tonight.”
She went on, “This is the fourth year I've hosted Women of the Year, and interestingly, this is the first year no one has questioned the need for a women-only event… Maybe that’s because we all know that we’re nowhere near the equality we all wish for.”
GLAMOUR honours Katherine with a surprise Women of the Year award.
This year's awards marks Joseph's final year as European Editorial Director. “Editing GLAMOUR has undoubtedly been a privilege and the job of a lifetime,” she said. “The GLAMOUR team works so incredibly hard to ensure that women’s lives are more equitable, safe, free — and of course — fun and glamorous.”
Over the course of the evening, our winners took to the stage to receive their WOTY awards. Honourees included Bridgerton's Simone Ashley, who took home the Gamechanging Actor award, Chlöe Bailey, who received the Musician of the Year Award, and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who won the Theatre Actor Award after her riveting performance in Romeo and Juliet on the West End.
Keely Hodgkinson took home the gold medal in the 800 metres at this year's Paris Olympics, while Cally Jane Beech was named Activist of the Year after her work with GLAMOUR’s Consent campaign to help fight AI deepfake pornography. Maddie Haynes, Ysabelle Salvanera and Amelia Onuorah took home the Samsung Rising Star award.
Scroll down for the full list of winners of the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2024, along with some of our favourite moments from their speeches.
We celebrated the gamechangers, activists, and feminist icons who are making the world a better place for women.
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Simone Ashley: Gamechanging Actor
Ashley, who rose to fame as Kate Sharma in season two of Bridgerton in 2022, took home the Gamechanging Actor award. Since her breakout role in Netflix's hit romance, Ashley has begun supporting emerging talent through her partnership with South-Asian culture hub Diet Paratha, and has also launched her own production company, Good Catch Entertainment.
“I would like to dedicate this speech to any young woman who has ever felt that something wasn't possible,” said Ashley, accepting the award from her Bridgerton co-star Nicola Coughlan. “The reality is, sometimes in life, the things we desire the most, they don't fall into our life. But I still believe within reason, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a dream, because maybe we will be surprised with what happens to us during the pursuit society sometimes tells us that women aren't capable of many things.”
Chlöe Bailey: Musician of the Year
Alongside her sister, Halle, Bailey has been making making music since she was a child. After launching her solo career in 2021, Bailey has become a certified Gen Z icon, inspiring her fans not only with her music, but also with her openness about her mental health and her experiences of sexism in the industry.
“By now, everyone knows that representation is important, and GLAMOUR was to me – and still is – a place where I can discover women across all lifestyles living and growing in their best selves,” said Bailey as she accepted the award."
She went on, “This job has seen me realise unimaginable dreams. But I know all of this means nothing if we don’t reach back and bring the next generation of women along with us. Part of being able to do that is by being an example of what’s possible: being a representation that, as a woman, we can make, record and perform our own music. We can go to space. We can see ourselves on the big screen. We can make advancements in science, healthcare and education, and, yes, we can even be President one day.”
Cally Jane Beech: Activist of the Year
Beech has worn many hats: dental nurse, Love Island star and activist. After leaving the villa, Beech was the target of AI deepfake pornography: her image was digitally imposed onto sexually explicit images of another person without her consent. Since then, Beech has become a powerful voice speaking up against the creation and circulation of AI-generated images. She even joined our Stop Image-Based Abuse Campaign here at GLAMOUR calling on the government to protect women and girls from this dangerous and damaging technology.
During her acceptance speech, Beech opened up about her traumatic experience with deepfakes. “My privacy, dignity, and identity were violated through the malicious use of AI,” she said. “A simple photo of me was manipulated into a falsified, obscene image and spread online without my consent. Though I knew it wasn’t real, the violation felt devastating.”
She later added, “This experience has taught me that the damage from AI deepfakes goes far beyond embarrassment. They can destroy careers, relationships, and futures. Women, especially young girls, are particularly vulnerable… With the platform I’ve been given, I feel a deep responsibility to raise awareness and fight for change. We cannot allow technology to violate our privacy and dignity. We need stronger laws and more accountability."
The last few years have been anything but ordinary for Jodie Turner-Smith. From becoming a Hollywood mainstay to navigating a very public divorce, the actor has ridden the storm of being a woman in the public eye. As we recognise her trailblazing on-screen performances at this year’s GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards, Iana Murray gets a rare insight into the off-screen woman – and finds that she leaves a lasting impact.
Francesca Amewudah-Rivers: Theatre Actor
Amewudah-Rivers took the West End by storm this year with her turn as Juliet in Jamie Lloyd Company's production of Romeo and Juliet opposite Tom Holland.
"I honour my Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage… October is Black History Month in the UK,
so I would love to take a moment to return to the past and honour a black woman of history whose story has a direct influence on me being here speaking to you all today," she said. “Her name was Rachel Baptiste, an Irish singer and actress who was one of the most celebrated performers in the mid-18th century across the UK, and believed to be the first black woman to play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet on a UK stage.” As Amewudah-Rivers explained, her name was never recorded. “We need to bring these stories to the forefront, because we need to know ourselves as women,” she went on, before concluding, “As Audre Lorde said, 'Without community, there is no liberation, and I am so grateful to be part of this Women of the Year community of truly inspirational women, thank you for all that you've done and for all that you continue to do you.'”
Maddie Haynes, Ysabelle Salvanera and Amelia Onuorah: Samsung Rising Star
Maddie Haynes, Ysabelle Salvanera and Amelia Onuorah, better known as the girl group Say Now, received our Samsung Rising Star award. The British trio rose to fame after a viral cover of Drake's “Massive” in 2022, and, since then, they have released their debut EP, extended play and opened for Kylie Minogue at British Summer Time in Hyde Park.
“It’s such an amazing award to win, surrounded by so many inspiring and beautiful women – and for that we are so lucky and grateful!” Salvanera exclaimed as the group took to the stage. “It’s crazy to think a couple of years ago, we were in school and didn’t even know each other, and now we’re best friends that live together and who have won a GLAMOUR award!!!”
GLAMOUR’S Women of the Year Awards 2024 Musician honouree Chlöe Bailey, 26, is a Grammy-nominated singer and actor. Since her meteoric rise to fame – after being discovered by Beyoncé alongside her sister, Halle – she has become one of Gen-Z’s most inspiring voices. Here, she talks overcoming adversity and finding self-confidence.
Added Onuorah, “We’re three young girls in an industry that’s very dominated by lots of men, many of whom are older than us – and while they’re not all bad, we’re so lucky to have each other to help when we need to tell those people to fuck off and let us do what we wanna do when we wanna do it.”
Jodie Turner-Smith: Screen Trailblazer
Actor Jodie Turner-Smith took home the Screen Trailblazer award. Her remarkable career has included roles in 2019's Queen & Slim and 2021's Anne Boleyn. More recently, she's appeared in as the Dragon Queen in Apple’s Bad Monkey and she also features in Paramount + and Showtime’s The Agency, alongside Michael Fassbender, Richard Gere and Jeffrey Wright. In addition to her acting work, Turner-Smith has been a vocal advocate for representation, gender equality and global majority maternal healthcare.
“I believe in stories. I believe in their ability to change the world, and I will dedicate my life to getting out of the way, not making about me and telling the stories of good and kind until I draw my last breath," she said on the stage. Thank you, Deborah, Joseph and the entire team at GLAMOUR UK for honoring my commitment to storytelling and thank you to each and Every woman in this room carrying her own story.Stories shape us. Stories teach us, even when we're unconscious of this, we all have a story. Our personal stories define us. They can make us larger, or they can seal us tightly in our own little boxes, self created. It's our choice. Stories live forever. I believe in stories. I believe in their ability to change the world, and I will dedicate my life to getting out of the way, not making about me and telling the stories of good and kind until I draw my last breath. Thank you, Deborah, Joseph and the entire team at glamor UK for honoring my commitment to storytelling and thank you to each and Every woman in this room carrying her own story.
Katherine Ryan: Feminist Hero
Surprise! Our host Katherine Ryan was awarded with a surprise Feminist Hero award in honour of her fearless honesty on topics ranging from misogyny to motherhood. “It’s been an honour to have presented The GLAMOUR Awards for the past four years and I can’t wait to hear from the women being celebrated this year,” she told us earlier — unbeknownst to her, she was one of them.
Ryan accepted the surprise award, joking, “I just absolutely love coming out of here year after year, weaving violence against women into a comedy opening monologue. I mean, God damn it, and you just sit there with your white wine… it's a tough gig, but I love it. I love being counted among these very incredible women.”
Keely Hodgkinson: Sporting Hero
After winning the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and emerging as one of the year's biggest track stars, Hodgkinson made history at this year's Paris Olympics, when, at just 22 years old, she took home the gold.
“To know that I've inspired young girls to get into sport is both humbling and amazing,” she said. “It's something I still find hard to grasp. But standing here today, I hope to shine a light on the incredible athletes, particularly female athletes, because we have so many of them in our sport right now and that have devoted their lives to compete in our world at this stage.”
Jameela Jamil: Gamechanging Voice
The Gamechanging Voice award went to actor, activist, podcaster and — well — all-round gamechanger, Jameela Jamil. Beyond her acting career, which has included roles in The Good Place and She-Hulk, Jamil has also been a voice of empowerment for women with her activism and her podcast. Inspired by her own journey with body image, eating disorders and body dysmorphia, her podcast I Weigh tackles everything from mental health to climate change to body positivity to self-love.
Jamil's remarkable acceptance speech highlighted the inherent sexism embedded in our society's youth-obsessed beauty standards. “Nobody has taught us that we need to protect and preserve the rest of our amazing lives, we’re only supposed to preserve our youth… I promise you, you only get better with age,” she said. "Growing older, wiser, more confident, opinionated, discerning, powerful and less tolerant of bullshit is a beautiful (and sexy) thing, and only someone insecure and afraid that they can’t rise to the occasion wouldn’t want to celebrate that in you.”
As well as being a TV actor, radio host and podcaster, Jameela Jamil is one of the most outspoken and prolific online critics of her generation. There’s nothing she won’t speak about if it helps improve the lives of women and help those who feel voiceless. So who better to win the Gamechanging Voice Award at this year’s GLAMOUR Women of the Year than the inimitable Jameela Jamil. GLAMOUR’s Editor-in-Chief, Deborah Joseph, finds out where her passion for activism comes from, and is deeply moved by her journey of self-reflection.
She went on to speak about honouring the “old woman” she will one day become.
“Everything I do from this day forward is for the wild, and fabulous old woman I hope to become one day," she said. “Time is a beautiful and brilliant privilege and I’m so grateful to people like Emma Thompson, Miriam Margolyes, and Maggie Smith, for modelling the third act in a way that makes me so fucking excited to get there.”
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Pamela Anderson: UK Impact Award
A pop culture icon since her career-making turn in Baywatch in the '90s, Anderson has gone on to become a passionate advocate for animal welfare, AIDS and HIV awareness and unhealthy beauty standards.
“For most of my career, I found women were so competitive and cruel each other standing here, I can tell you, it's much better when we love and support each other,” she said.
Anderson also spoke about living as a survivor of sexual violence. “I know it takes tremendous strength to heal. And I thank everyone who supported me on this journey,” she said. |These last few years have felt like a fresh slate. I'm on my path a new, glorious and imperfect one. But the lesson I've learned is I will not let what happened to me define me. Is what I do that defines me. I dedicate this award to women everywhere, rising above their painful paths and finding the courage to be their best selves."
