Zoella was one of the original influencers on YouTube. Here's what she's doing now.

In 2014, Zoe Sugg (who is better known as 'Zoella') made international headlines. 

The beauty blogger, who is also a published author, successful lifestyle content creator and mum, boasts about 17 million followers on Instagram and YouTube. She's firmly held her place at the top of the influencer ladder since the ladder's literal inception. 

And in 2014, she broke a record for selling the most copies of a debut book. Girl Online became a New York Times Bestseller after selling 78,109 copies in its first week of publication. 

Watch a snippet of a makeup tutorial from Zoella. Post continues after video. 

Zoella posted her first ever YouTube video in 2009 and by 2011, she was sharing tips with others on how to become successful online. Prior to YouTube, she was also writing blog posts for her 1,000 followers.

She was 19 years old at the time. 

By 2011, she won the 'Best Established Beauty Blog at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. In 2013, she hit one million subscribers. 

"I started filming as a hobby," she told Vogue in 2014. "It's not something I could have prepared myself for. Every day I am still coming to terms with this, it's not gone to my head…"

Zoella became an internet sensation. Her natural humility and friendly demeanour drew in millions of subscribers who wanted to know everything about her including the clothes she was wearing and the beauty products she was using. 

In her words, the beauty blogger explained she preferred the content on YouTube over what usually is available on television "because you got the sense of the person".

"I trusted their opinion. It was, 'This is me in my bedroom; I'm not a TV set.' It had this rawness to it," she continued. "There's also more to watch on YouTube, it's selective; you can type in anything and get multiple videos."

In 2013, Zoella announced she was dating fellow YouTuber Alfie Deyes after meeting in 2012 at his official fan meeting. 

Alfie Deyes and Zoe Sugg. Image: Instagram @zoesugg.

In 2014, she released her debut novel Girl Online and despite it breaking records in terms of sales, Zoella garnered criticism for using a ghostwriter. 

The book, which follows the life of a young girl who falls in love with a rockstar, received backlash for not clearly stating it wasn't written primarily by the beauty blogger. 

Her publisher Penguin issued a statement following the controversy. 

"The factual accuracy of the matter is simply that Zoe Sugg did not write Girl Online on her own," the statement read. "For her first novel, Girl Online, Zoe has worked with an expert editorial team to help her bring to life her characters and experiences in a heartwarming and compelling story."

Zoella responded to the controversy herself too in 2014, telling fans that "everyone needs help when they try something new".

Image: Instagram @zoesugg.

"Thanks for all the positive feedback about Girl Online and for the doubters out there, of course, I was going to have help from Penguin’s editorial team in telling my story, which I talked about from the beginning," she said on Twitter. "Everyone needs help when they try something new. The story and the characters of Girl Online are mine. I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to support the book."

Nevertheless, Zoella has since released five other books in its wake including On Tour, Going Solo, One For Sorrow and Two For Joy (in collaboration with Amy McCulloch).

In 2014, the beauty blogger also opened up about her relationship with anxiety, telling Vogue she had her first panic attack at 14. 

"I was always a very anxious child," she confessed. "Stress, not enough sleep, and travelling brings them on. I've done two live TV appearances and that was really scary. But I push myself to do more because it's just fear and if you let that win it's not helping anything."

Nowadays, Zoella is still happily with Aflie and despite meeting in the public eye, the pair like to remain relatively private. 

In August 2022, the pair announced the birth of their daughter Ottilie. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zoë Sugg (@zoesugg)

She spoke openly about the reality of her body changing after birth. 

"The recovery in the fourth trimester really is no joke! You have days where you feel invincible and days where you stand up and you feel like your pelvic floor is going to give up on you and your organs are going to slip out of your stitched-up vagina," she wrote on Instagram. 

"It's a physical and mental rollercoaster and healing is not linear (well it hasn’t been for me, I’ve moved forward 10 steps one week and then gone back 15 the next)," she continued. "Every day that passes where I’m sat on the sofa or in bed I feel like I’m missing out on experiences with Ottilie whilst she’s still this small. I have FOMO of 'what could be' rather than anyone or anything in particular."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zoë Sugg (@zoesugg)

Zoella went on to praise new mothers. 

"I don’t really know what the point of this post is, I think just to reassure any new mums out there that are in those first throws of postpartum and feel like the healing process is a long and frustrating one, you will get to do that thing you want to do and you’re doing a bloody great job," she said. 

This week, the family of three announced they had a new addition joining their brood in December 2023. 

"Our family is growing! Little girl joining us in December," she wrote. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zoë Sugg (@zoesugg)

In the announcement, the beauty blogger included their baby's first ultrasound scan. 

Although the pair are not engaged yet, Alfie confessed it would be difficult for him to plan a surprise proposal as their followers would likely spot him shopping for a diamond.

Either way, the pair are excited about their future. Zoella might not be living the life she thought she would as one of the most famous online personalities in the world, but she sure is happy. 

Feature Image: Instagram @zoella.