Are toxic trolls pushing Vicky and Ferne too far?
Vicky Pattison at ‘all time low’ and suffered ‘breakdown’ after trolls slated her Ferne Mccann left in tears on latest show and is called a ‘gold digger’ Expert warns: ‘Celebs bear brunt of abuse’
They both found T fame on reality shows, have bagged lucrative TV jobs and are regular fixtures on the red carpet.
But despite their feisty personas, Vicky Pattison and Ferne Mccann have both been left devastated by online trolls as they struggle with the dark side of celebrity. And it’s not just the stars who are dealing with online abuse – a survey recently found that a staggering 70 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds who use the internet have endured harassment.
floods of tears
Former Geordie Shore star and I’m A Celeb! winner Vicky, 29, was on top of the world last year when she landed a job presenting I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp in Australia. But last week she revealed it was a dark time as she suffered a breakdown following persistent online bullying. Vicky revealed: “I broke down in floods of tears every night reading all the comments. People were calling me a horrible fat cow, a bad role model, a s*** TV presenter. It affected my confidence.
“People were so savage. They just turned on me. It went from: ‘Isn’t Vicky so down-to-earth and fun?’ to: ‘Why does she think she can be a TV presenter?’”
weight taunts
Last November, Vicky was criticised for “gurning” on-screen and the star – who slimmed down from a size 16 to a size 8 in July last year – was also taunted over her weight while on holiday the same month.
She even admitted that if she paid attention to all the body shamers she’d “end up with an eating disorder.”
Vicky has admitted to Closer that the barrage of online attacks has had a huge impact on her life. The star has battled depression, and her anger issues
saw her was arrested in 2013 after she assaulted a model in a nightclub. She’s admitted she even contemplated suicide, but said she turned her life around after having therapy.
ONLINE BULLIES
And Vicky isn’t the only one struggling – last week, her pal Ferne Mccann, 26, was targeted by online bullies while on TV show Celebs Go Dating.
Trolls cruelly taunted her after she asked her date to pay the £175 dinner bill. One wrote: “Who the hell does Ferne Mccann think she is?” Another added: “Karma for a gold digger.”
Ferne was left in tears by the end of the show, saying that dating is hard. She took to social media to defend herself, writing: “I’m not a gold digger. I ALWAYS offer (to pay)... clearly that didn’t make the edit.”
REALLY HURTFUL
Speaking to Closer recently about online bullies, Ferne said: “I want to tell the trolls that it’s not OK to say these things. I’m not going to lie, it’s made me feel really s**t. It’s disgusting and malicious. It’s hurt me.”
Ferne and Vicky formed a friendship over their struggles in the public eye, and filmed The Only Way Is Amalfi Shore last year. On the show, Ferne broke down over body shaming, saying: “I’m sorry for not being a size 8 and I’m sorry I’ve got cellulite.” Pal Vicky also admitted: “I just want, across the board, for women to empower one another.”