VILLANELLE’S VENGEANCE
Jodie hits back at trolls who spread fake news about American lover
SHE was vilified on social media over claims her new boyfriend is a Trump supporter. But Jodie Comer has hit back, calling it fake news – and revealing that the online criticism harmed her health.
The actress, 27, who plays bisexual assassin Villanelle in Killing Eve, was revealed in July to be in a relationship with American James Burke.
A Twitter thread claimed Burke, 26, was a registered Republican party supporter and a fan of President Donald
Trump. Several cancel culture supporters criticised Miss Comer and urged others to shun her on social media, saying Mr Burke’s politics were at odds with the actress’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBT rights.
Speaking to Porter magazine, Miss Comer – who posed in a blood red Bottega Veneta dress – said: ‘All this false information came out about him, and people just ridiculed him and me and my family. People took these tweets as truth. That was the biggest time my life has been kind of blown up and publicised in that way.’
She explained why she did not confront her critics, preferring to keep her personal life private.
‘A lot of people read things and they go, “Wow, she’s that, she’s this type of person”,’ she said. ‘And I’m like, OK, I can spend my life and my energy trying to convince people otherwise, or I can go, I know who I am, I know my truth and that’s good enough for me. It took a while, but it got to a point where I noticed it was affecting my health.’
Miss Comer is said to have met Mr Burke, a communication graduate, in Boston. He was pictured outside her parents’ house in Liverpool in the summer.
■ To read the full interview, visit Porter online or via the app.