In a heart-breaking Facebook video, Australian blogger Constance Hall has spoken out about the venomous comments directed at her since it was announced she was joining the latest local Dancing with the Stars season.
Ms Hall, a well-known blogger across the Tasman and author of 'Like A Queen', took to Facebook on Tuesday to emotionally recall the horrific trolling she has experienced in the last week and provide a heart-felt message to others who may have been bullied.
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The 35-year-old said she was familiar with spiteful comments and messages aimed at her, having dealt with them ever since her blog "took off".
"The truth is, it has affected me in ways that I can barely explain," she said. "I have been in tears, I have been depressed, I have been almost suicidal."
When deciding to join the 2019 season of the Australian Dancing with the Stars, Ms Hall said despite knowing she would receive a barrage of hate from a "nation that clearly despises me", she knew it was an opportunity to do some good.
"The more I thought about it, the more I thought I can do this, I can be strong, I want to do this," she said, noting that through the television show she could raise money for a charity called Rafiki Mwema, which supports children who have been sexually abused in Kenya.
But within a week of it being revealed she would partake in the show, Ms Hall claims there were "thousands of thousands" of comments about her appearance, her odour, and her parenting ability.
Ms Hall read some of the comments out on the video, which has now been viewed nearly 5 million times.
"'She looks like a walking venereal disease that needs to invest in a bar'," one comment said, while another read: "'She looks like she needs to be bathed in a flea bath'".
"You gotta feel for everyone on the show having a feral on set who'd smell like she baths in faeces let alone having to interact with the thing."
Not wanting to empower the trolls, Ms Hall said she will still participate on the show and try to send a positive message to others not to let bullies dictate their lives.
"[People] need to stand up for them, you need to stand up for what is right," she said.
"What I'm dancing for is every single one of you, every single young person that has to go to school every day, or has to catch that train, or has to go to work, where you're bullied and treated unkindly, I am dancing for you and I want you to know it's not okay."
Newshub.
