Couple who refuse to wear shoes now making thousands as lifestyle influencers
George Woodville had requests to start an OnlyFans account for his feet
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A social media influencer who claims he has not worn shoes since 2021 and posts pictures of his grubby feet on OnlyFans has met the “love of (his) life” – who has also embraced the barefoot lifestyle.
George Woodville, 21 – who lives in Cambridge with his girlfriend Roseanne Waref – stopped wearing shoes in October 2021 as he was struggling with his mental health and wanted to experience the “whole ground”.
Despite many of his family members thinking he had “gone off the rails”, George continued to embrace life with his feet on the ground and threw out all his shoes – which he thinks has done wonders for his wellbeing.
George set up a TikTok account in May 2022, and films himself asking members of the public their opinion of his lifestyle, and has gained more than 564,000 followers.
He had many requests to start an OnlyFans account for his feet and, to try to make a bit of extra cash, he decided to give it a go – now earning between £500 and £1,000 a month on the platform by posting images of his feet in public places such as trains and cafes.
In 2023, he met Roseanne, 20, and it was “love at first sight” and she was not put off by his feet. She “loved the fact (he) didn’t wear shoes” and after a few months together, she started going barefoot too.
In public, the pair have been told they are “really inspirational” but some people do “stop and stare”.
George told PA Real Life: “We don’t mind as much if we get glass or anything in our feet any more… I’ve stood on that quite a few times but I’ve always been OK.
“It doesn’t stop me from going anywhere – we can’t live in fear of something happening whenever we leave the house, and I think that applies to life as a whole too.
“I look at life as if I was placed here on a desert island with no idea of what is seen as normal… if we want to be barefoot then we should be able to, there’s a lot worse things that we could be doing.
“I’m so lucky to have met Roseanne and that we can do this together, she’s the love of my life.
“I don’t think either of us are thinking of stopping this lifestyle.”
While on a walking holiday in Plymouth with his mum and grandfather in October 2021, George decided to go barefoot in a bid to improve his mental health – and he has not looked back since.
George said: “I was looking for a new experience and I was on a walking holiday. I just thought, ‘Why am I not experiencing the whole ground? Why would I not want the whole experience of it?’
“So, I threw all of my shoes away.
“My mum’s family didn’t really understand it, and initially they didn’t really want anything to do with me for a long time because they thought I must have gone off the rails or something, but that wasn’t the case.”
Over time, George found that going barefoot helped improve his mental health.
“My perspective has changed a lot – I appreciate the small things now… this journey has taught me you have to experience that discomfort to get good at anything,” he said.
“It’s actually been one of the best things I’ve ever done – it has been a way of self-discovery.”
George soon realised he wanted to spread the word about the barefoot lifestyle and began posting videos of strangers’ opinions of his lifestyle on TikTok in May 2022. Since then, he has gained more than 564,000 followers and has had several videos go viral with millions of views.
He said: “Strangers are generally one way or the other – they either think it’s great, or are just so against it and think it’s really weird.”
George was inundated with messages asking him to create an OnlyFans account for his dirty feet – so, as he was looking for more ways to make money, he decided to give it a go.
He said: “My peak earnings are £500 to £1,000 a month and it keeps me financially afloat.
“I’m not bothered about what other people think, or what they get out of watching my videos, like with people who have a foot fetish, for example.
“For me, it’s all art and creativity, and then there are people who appreciate that creativity, in whatever way you can imagine.”
In 2023 George met Roseanne and they both live barefoot lifestyles.
He said: “We met while I was out filming… and I was having a break in a sweet shop and we were enthralled by each other.
“She loved the fact I didn’t wear shoes.
“It was like love at first sight – we had our first kiss, basically, before we exchanged any words at all.
“After a few months, she stopped wearing shoes… I think for her, it’s about going outside of her comfort zone and is also a bonding thing, because we’re both in the same boat together.
“I wouldn’t say I have a foot fetish in particular, but I can appreciate feet.”
George explained what the reaction is like when the pair are barefoot together: “Sometimes we get people come up to us and say, ‘Wow, you guys are really inspirational’, and, ‘It’s so cool, what you do’.
“I think the fact that we’re a couple and we’re doing it, it kind of makes it more of a spectacle.
“People do stop and stare at us like, ‘What the hell is going on?’”
But the couple sometimes face challenges in public places.
George said: “We went to Harry Potter World, and they weren’t going to let us in and then we both had to make up these characters.
“We had to pretend that we can’t wear shoes for medical reasons… it does seem to work when we pull the medical card though… especially in restaurants and things.
“But there is some truth in it – a few years ago, I started having seizures and blackouts for a few minutes then I’d be fine.
“When I gave up wearing shoes, I stopped having them, but I never got diagnosed with anything.”
This experience has also made George realise he may have a sensory processing disorder.
He explained: “Roseanne has an autism diagnosis and the common theme that autistic people have is this sensory processing disorder… so she finds it not very comfortable to wear shoes.
“I think, for me, I get the same kind of thing and it feels really overwhelming, but I think the fact I now don’t wear shoes gives me a purpose.”
On how Roseanne feels about George posting on OnlyFans, he explained: “She’s OK with it and is happy for me to do it, especially to make some more money.
“But us doing it together is a point of contention – it’s a really, really good way of making money but her family was quite against her getting involved.
“So I’ve kind of just drawn a line and said she isn’t going to get involved, but she does help me take pictures and help me with the content.”
Looking to the future, George said: “My goal really is to keep doing what I’m doing.
“My ultimate goal though is to have a Netflix documentary travelling the world with Roseanne barefooted.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments