Lucille Werner is a Dutch television presenter and former member of the House of Representatives. She is well known to the general public for TV shows like Lingo, Get the Picture, and the Mis(s) Election. Throughout her career, Lucille has fought for people’s rights. That’s why she founded the Lucille Werner Foundation.
After finishing high school in Eindhoven, Lucille chose a higher professional education program in PR and Communication. During her studies, she first encountered the world of television. After graduating, she started working as an editor and reporter for Show time on RTL 4.
Joop van den Ende was the person who gave Lucille her first opportunity to debut as a presenter in Current Show News in 1996. She then appeared on RTL 4 shows like The Big Entertainment Club, Summer Champion, Henny’s Houseparty, and Puzzle Time. In 2001, Lucille moved to AVRO, where she presented programs such as All Animals Count and Get the Picture. In 2005, Lucille began working for TROS and became the host of Lingo. She remained the face of the beloved language game show for nine years.
In 2006, she made a name for herself by hosting the Mis(s) Election, a competition for women with disabilities. In 2015, she produced the game show Pointless for AVROTROS, before moving to SBS 6 in 2016, where she hosted My Last Time and the Mis(s) Election once again. In 2019, she returned to public broadcasting and signed a contract with KRO-NCRV, with her first program being Minister of Disability Affairs.
In 2006, Lucille founded the Lucille Werner Foundation to positively influence the image of people with disabilities. Together with the foundation, she created several television formats, including the Mis(s) Election, where women with disabilities compete for the title of ‘Miss Unlimited Netherlands’.
The competition, aired by TROS in 2006 and 2007, sparked significant public discussion. In 2008 and 2009 the CAPawards were broadcast, an award show recognizing individuals who don’t let their disability hinder their work, hobbies or sports. A children’s version of the award show, called the Cappies, was also developed.
Lucille also worked with the foundation to create the youth series Caps Club, where children with disabilities played the leading roles. Three seasons of the series aired between 2013 and 2016. The Mis(s) Election returned in 2017 on SBS 6. In 2019, a new format was developed: Minister of Disability Affairs. After an extensive selection process, six candidates were chosen, and in a live show for KRO-NCRV, the Dutch public voted for the Minister of Disability Affairs, who would advocate for people with disabilities.
In 2021, Lucille was sworn in as a Member of Parliament for the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). She became the spokesperson for Long-Term Care, Disability Policy, Media, Culture, and Emancipation. Her main mission was to ensure that people with disabilities can participate equally in society.
To achieve this, she believes a national strategy must be developed to promote equality. She succeeded in this mission when, in the spring of 2024, the government announced it would implement a national strategy to improve the position of people with disabilities.
Through her various television programs, Lucille has worked to contribute to a positive image of people with disabilities. Her passionate efforts through her foundation have not gone unnoticed. In 2010, she was knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau. In 2011, Lucille won the Martin Luther King Award, and in 2012, she received the Majoor Bosshardt Prize.
