Alex Scott reveals she went to therapy after receiving hateful comments from online trolls during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing
- Alex said at a special International Women’s Day event that she was subjected to trolling throughout her stint on the 2019 edition of the show
- She said she had a ‘really hard’ year, and the vitriolic comments were so bad she didn’t want to talk about it with family and friends
- In the candid chat, she said: ‘It led me to go and seek therapy, to speak about it. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done’
- If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Alex Scott has revealed she sought therapy after vicious online trolling took its toll on her mental health.
The Strictly Come Dancing star, 35, explained at a special International Women’s Day event that she was subjected to trolling throughout her stint on the 2019 edition of the show, where she was partnered with Neil Jones.
In a report of the event from The Sun, Alex said she had a ‘really hard’ year after taking part in the competition, and the vitriolic comments were so bad she didn’t want to talk about it with family and friends.
‘Really hard year’: Alex Scott revealed on Saturday that she went to therapy after receiving hateful comments from online trolls during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing
In the candid chat, she said: ‘It led me to go and seek therapy, to speak about it. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
‘I would say I’m still on a journey. I’m still in therapy so I’m still learning how to communicate with my emotions more.’
Adding that it was easier said than done to leave social media, or talk to her loved ones about what happened, she added: ‘I didn’t want to tell my family and friends because I didn’t want to put that pressure on them, I didn’t want them to worry.’
Struggle: Alex explained that she had a ‘really hard’ year after taking part in the competition, and the vitriolic comments were so bad she didn’t want to talk about it with family and friends
Alex spoke to 130 schoolgirls alongside Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman, hoping to inspire them to break the glass ceiling.
The England ace has previously spoken about the horrible comments she received, adding that she was even sent death threats.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror last year, she said: ‘I had all of it — for being a woman on TV, for being a woman of colour on TV, that I’m ticking a box, death threats.
‘I had the lot. But I’m still standing. All the time I thought, “No, I’m good at my job”. That’s why I did my degree, so no one can ever say I’m just there because I’m a tick in a box.’
Alex and Neil were eliminated on week 11 of Strictly, and the footballer’s stint on the show saw her dance alongside Kevin Clifton for two weeks after her dance partner had to pull out temporarily because of an injury.
The pair narrowly missed out on a place in the Strictly semi final when Shirley Ballas’ deciding vote went in favour of Chris Ramsey and his pro partner Karen Hauer.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org, or you can call Mind on 0300 123 3393 or visit [email protected].
Helpful: In the candid chat, Alex said: ‘It led me to go and seek therapy, to speak about it. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done’