A firefighting, soup kitchen volunteering, Libyan immigrant, law student from Balham is getting the praise she deserves.

Lucy Masoud, 38, is the star of a Boots Christmas advert where all her friends talk about how wonderful she is.

Lucy was picked for the promotion as she will work on Christmas day as a firefighter, as she has done for the past nine years.


On top of festive firefighting, Lucy volunteers as a protective presence in Palestine and volunteers in a soup kitchen to help the homeless.

Lucy, who was born in Libya, said: “Seeing my friends in the video was a bit odd! But it was nice to hear them say the things they did.

"My girlfriend was also interviewed and it was really sweet to hear her say such nice things.

“In fact, now whenever I'm trying to win an argument with my girlfriend, I just remind her that she said I was amazing in the advert and therefore she should concede and admit I'm always right.”

Lucy has previously worked as a political researcher for a government minister, achieved a post-graduate degree in newspaper journalism and is now currently studying at BPP University Law School in Holborn.

Lucy said: “People tend to be surprised when they find out that I'm a firefighter and that I'm training to be a barrister as it's not an obvious choice.

“But actually I think the skills I've learned as a firefighter, such as dealing with stressful situations and being able to make split-second decisions, will very much help make me a good barrister.”