“She must have been in a dark place to do this”
As social media star Clemmie Hooper is unmasked as the troll who attacked her own friends and husband, Closer speaks to an influencer who found herself on the receiving end
I’M DISAPPOINTED, I THINK SHE’S LET ALL OF US DOWN
The internet sensation behind the Mother of Daughters Instagram account, Clemmie Hooper, has admitted to a secret online life in which she trolled her rivals – many of whom were her own friends.
The 34-year-old midwife, who has over 600k followers, joined gossip website Tattle Life in 2018, and slammed her fellow influencers under the alias Alice In Wanderlust. She branded her friends “boring” and “inconsistent” and said that black influencer Candice Brathwaite, who has appeared on Clemmie’s podcast, was “aggressive” and used her “race as a weapon.” But when users on Tattle Life worked out that Alice was in fact Clemmie, she took to Instagram to confess. She said she joined the site to defend comments made about her – and when users started to suspect her true identity, she trolled to cover her tracks.
BAD CHOICES
Clemmie wrote, “The more I became engrossed in the negative commentary, the more the situation escalated.”
Her husband Simon, aka Father of Daughters, who has 1m followers of his own and who was also trolled by his wife, has said he had no idea about her actions. He later revealed, “I’m feeling both angry and sad. I can’t condone or fully understand what Clemmie did... she made some bad choices.”
Many have refused to accept Clemmie’s explanation, especially as she appears to have instigated some of the online discussions about her friends.
The scandal has left the “mumfluencer” community reeling – especially as Clemmie has championed other women publicly. In May 2017, she posted a bikini picture of herself, encouraging women to “normalise” their bodies. She’s also written two books to empower and support women during childbirth.
Even more shockingly,
Clemmie temporarily deleted her Instagram in 2018, after being trolled. In an interview at the time, she said, “The trolling was very intense. I was at a crossroads, wondering if I wanted to carry on with Instagram.”
But now, Clemmie’s career could hang in the balance. Talent manager Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE says, “Brands will no longer approach her and the loss to her earnings will be significant.
“The only way to save her reputation is to make amends. The short apology she released isn’t enough. She needs to properly explain her actions, and I’d advise a self-imposed ban from Instagram for at least a month. On the other hand, her husband may find he gains more popularity after this. His response to the scandal was measured and responsible – the public will respect that.”
Emma Hartridge, 32, aka, Mum Of Mad Lads on Instagram, found herself
embroiled in the scandal when it emerged that Clemmie had made comments about her on Tattle Life. Clemmie wrote that Emma and her husband Sam, who posts as Dad Of Mad Lads, were “desperate to be the next MOD and FOD,” and that they were “like a chav’s [sic] version of the Hoopers.”
COMMUNITY
Emma started her Instagram page while on maternity leave with her youngest son Xander, three; she also has son Eden, four. She says, “It was a way to connect with other parents, so I was really surprised when I gained a small following.
And when brands contacted me offering work, it was an added bonus. I enjoyed being part of a community of women who supported each other through the trials and tribulations of parenthood.”
In the summer of 2017, Clemmie followed Emma on Instagram. She says, “I admired Clemmie. She’s successful, has amazing taste, and is a midwife, too, so when I saw that she followed me back, I was really pleased.”
But early this month, rumours began circulating that Clemmie was behind the Alice In Wanderlust comments.
Emma says, “Another mum influencer contacted me and told me what had been going on. When I saw what Alice had said about me and Sam, I wanted to know the truth, so I sent Clemmie a message asking if Alice was really her. She admitted it was her and
I was really shocked. Clemmie knows what it feels like to be trolled, so to inflict that on other people seemed cruel.
“She apologised to me and said she hadn’t meant any of her comments. I’m not sure what to believe, but I accepted her apology. We all make mistakes. Clemmie must have been in dark place to do this.
“I feel bad for her. But I’m disappointed, too. Followers rely on influencers to be open and honest. I think she’s let all of us down.”
SCANDAL
Now, Emma hopes the mumfluencer community can move on from the scandal. She says, “Everyone deserves a second chance. It’s easy to make Clemmie out to be a villain, but she has such a huge presence online – it must be a lot of pressure and that can have negative effects. I hope she comes out of this a better person. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now.”
By Kristina Beanland