‘I don’t want Anna’s job… I’ve told her’: British Vogue editor Edward Enninful shuts down rumors he is set to replace the fashion maven at American title – and says he ‘wants to focus on his creativity’

• British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful addressed rumors of taking over from Anna Wintour when she steps down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue
• Enninful, 50, told Wintour at Paris Fashion week that he did not want job
• He told CNN that he would turn down the top editor job if he was offered it 

British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful has revealed that he does not want American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour’s job following speculation that he’s next in line to take her place.

Enninful, 50, who made history by becoming the first black editor-in-chief of Vogue, said he had spoken to Wintour, 72, at Paris Fashion Week and told her that he didn’t want her job amid rumors of her impending departure as the editor of American Vogue.

When asked whether he will take Wintour’s place if and when she does step down, Enninful told CNN: ‘Everyone focuses on American Vogue. 

‘Everybody wants to know what I’m doing, but I would like to tell you that I don’t want Anna’s job. I’ve spoken to her about it a few weeks ago.’ 

Enninful, who has just released his biography A Visible Man, added: ‘Having been on my book tour where I met so many people in the world, met so many women, met so many minorities essentially, I can do better in the world than maybe I can in one magazine.’

When pressed by journalist Christiane Amanpour what he would do if he was asked to take the job today, Enninful said: ‘I would say not right now, not today.’ 

British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful has revealed that he does not want American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour’s job following speculation that he’s next in line to take her place

Enninful, 50, who made history by becoming the first black editor-in-chief of Vogue, said he had spoken to Wintour, 72, (pictured together at London Fashion Week in February) and told her that he didn’t want her job amid rumors of her impending departure as the editor of American Vogue

Amanpour said it appeared like he was leaving a little wiggle room for the future, to which Enninful explained: ‘What I want to do in the future really is create. I’ve realized that my strength is in creativity.

‘That’s really where I want to focus on.’

Enninful, who married his long-term partner Alec Maxwell in February this year, added that he would feel ‘exactly the same way’ even if Wintour stepped down in six months, a year or two years. 

He said that he had told Wintour about him not wanting her job as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue during the Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, adding that she was ‘fine’ about it. 

Enninful added: ‘Let’s quell that rumor right there’, referring to speculation that he would take over the top spot at American Vogue.

Enninful, who was born in Ghana but grew up in West London, became the first non-white person to be appointed editor of Vogue in 2017. 

Enninful has opened up about his life’s struggles ahead of the release of his memoir, including his battle with alcoholism and how he had  four operations on his eyes in recent years.

He explained that detached retina, among other issues, led to him having the procedures – and during the recovery time he was left living in the dark and looking at the floor for several weeks.

Describing the recovery as ‘psychologically intense’ he explained he had always had problems with his eyesight.

He told The BBC’s Amol Rajan last month: ‘But what I’ve also learned is… you don’t need perfect vision to create. You don’t need 20/20 vision to see images. 

‘So that’s the irony of it: though I have bad eyesight, I’m still able to create images that people seem to resonate with.’

As well as issues with his sight, Enninful suffers from the blood condition thalassaemia, which flares up and causes him pain.

As a child living in Ghana, he had to have several blood transfusions, before eventually moving to the UK when he was 13 years old amid political unrest in the country.

Edward, who married his long term partner Alec Maxwell in February this year, also opened up about being estranged from his father for 15 years

His mother, who had run a seamstress business, decided to remain in Ghana for a little while after a young Enninful, his father and his five siblings moved to Vauxhall in south London where they lived with his aunt.

Enninful’s father, who had been in the Ghanaian military, spent three years seeking asylum in the UK.

When he was 16, Enninful was spotted on public transport by stylist Simon Foxton, who told him he could be a model, and he began shooting with photographers for i-D magazine.

After assisting the magazine’s fashion director Beth Summers, Enninful gained more experience and when Summers left her position shortly before the model’s 18th birthday, he was asked to step into her role, becoming the youngest ever fashion director for an international publication.

However the job came at a price as Enninful had been skipping classes at the University of Goldsmiths in order to pursue his career. When his father found out about this, he threw him out of the house and the pair didn’t speak for 15 years.

During the interview, Enninful also revealed he had suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life and had been part of the Alcoholics Anonymous programme for 14 years where he said he found ‘fellowship’.

The editor said: ‘It got very bad because imagine how I was, you know – I lost one home, which was Africa, and came to England. 

‘Then I lost a second home when I was kicked out. And then I went into the gay scene thinking I found my tribe and again, got so many rejections.’

Enninful did eventually find love in his long-term partner, creative director Alec Maxwell and the pair tied the knot in February this year.

The star-studded nuptials coincided with Enninful’s 50th birthday. He is pictured with a handful of his nearest and dearest for a dinner at Laylow in west London (pictured) 

A-list pals including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham gathered at Longleat House, in Wiltshire – home to Enninful’s close friend Emma Thynn, the Marchioness of Bath – to watch Edward and video producer Alec tie the knot in an intimate ceremony in the Orangery before partying the night away.

The wedding is estimated to have cost at least £600,000, according to event experts, but Edward could have received favours from friends, including use of the historic wedding venue, which is believed to have been a wedding gift from Emma and her husband, the 8th Marquess of Bath. 

The star-studded nuptials coincided with Enninful’s 50th birthday. 

After partnering with Meghan Markle who guest edited British Vogue in 2019, Enninful put to bed rumors the Duchess of Sussex had asked to delay publication so the American media would see the edition first.

He claimed ‘nobody really interfered’ with the publication process.

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