Scarlett Moffatt reveals she used to call the Samaritans under a fake name when cruel trolls targeted her appearance
Scarlett Moffatt has revealed she regularly called the Samaritans when she struggled to cope with cruel jibes about her appearance.
The former Gogglebox star, 29, said she faced nasty comments about her nose in particular and she would often call the mental health helpline for support.
The I’m A Celebrity winner would give them a fake them and chat for 15 minutes, and she said the conversations helped her deal with the trolls’ comments.
Hurtful: Scarlett Moffatt has revealed she turned to the Samaritans after she faced a barrage of abuse about her appearance
Scarlett bravely told Kate Thornton on the White Wine, Question Time podcast, as quoted in The Mirror: ‘I’d give a fake name and I’d chat for 15 minutes. It really, really did help.
‘I was getting loads of stick. I was like: ‘It’s the nose I was born with.”
The TV personality said her experience with Samaritans has changed her attitude on coping with trolls.
Instead of letting their taunts affect her, she now replies with the helpline’s telephone number.
Stronger: The Gogglebox star says she now ignores comments from trolls and instead points them towards the mental health helpline
She said: ‘I think, ‘God, how must they be feeling to have so much hatred towards someone they have never met?”
In a recent interview with Grazia magazine, Scarlett said she had been subjected to relentless online trolling over the years and feels ‘lucky’ she was able to escape from a dark place.
Scarlett detailed in the magazine how she worked in Asda when her friend told her about Gogglebox to which she mused: ‘It’s £50 and a free takeaway, what’s the worst that can happen?’
Struggle: In a recent interview with Grazia magazine, Scarlett said she had been subjected to relentless trolling over the years and feels ‘lucky’ she was able to escape from a dark place
Following her family’s first appearance on the show, Scarlett said that the online abuse began instantly.
She recounted: ‘We got Twitter so we could chat to people while it was on. Immediately, I started getting really horrible messages about how ugly, fat and stupid I was.
‘All of a sudden, all of these people, who didn’t even know me, were forming opinions about me from five minutes on a half-hour show. It hit me hard.’
However, she stuck with the show and two years later in 2016 appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, from which she walked away victorious.
She shared: ‘I felt very lucky. Looking back, at that point I realise I had been put on a pedestal. In the press, it was just nice story after nice story, and then, with Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – I was a co-presenter for a time – it was the same thing.
‘But I quickly noticed that the more popular I was getting on TV and in the press, the more unpopular I was getting on social media. I was being trolled way more, with people attacking the way I look, speak, dress – you name it.’
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
In the limelight: Following her family’s first appearance on Gogglebox, Scarlett said that the online abuse began instantly (pictured with her parents on the show)