Kate Piper calls for ‘more to be done’ about online abuse after troll calls her 'ugly and repulsive'
Author said abusive messages are an 'everyday reality’ for some people
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Katie Piper has said more work needs to be done regarding online abuse after sharing a message she received from a troll calling her “ugly and repulsive”.
The 37-year-old said these type of messages are an “everyday reality” for people in the “minority category” and called for “more to be done” when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
The mother-of-two had been directly messaged the comment in response to a video she posted to her Instagram story of herself speaking to her followers.
The troll wrote: “You're the most repulsive and ugliest thing I've ever seen, why even bother with make-up?”
Piper posted a screenshot of the message to her story and explained why she thought it was important to share.
“I've posted this message from my inbox to show you all the work and conversations around diversity and inclusion, the everyday reality for anyone who is in the minority category,” she wrote.
“The everyday existence is very different to the positivity campaigns. More work needs to be done."
In 2008, Piper was the victim of an acid attack organised by her ex-boyfriend and she has since had almost 400 operations.
Most recently, she had eye surgery to prevent her remaining sight from deteriorating and kept her followers updated on the results.
“Thanks for all your messages I’m in hospital recovering from my recent eye operation, everything went well. Big thank you to Mr Naresh Joshi and his team,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her in hospital.
Last year, the former Strictly Come Dancing star opened up about the extent of her acid attack injuries in a bid to encourage more people to speak out on World Mental Health Day.
Alongside a photo of her that was taken just hours after the attack, Piper spoke about the impact it had on her own mental health.
“I remember when I didn’t want to look at anyone. I remember when I didn’t want anyone to look at me. I remember when I was scared of people, scared of men,” she wrote.
“I remember when I was scared of the world. I remember when opening up to people and talking about my trauma and psychological damage just wasn’t possibly.
“Today on Mental Health Day my first meeting of the day is with my therapist. I still go, it still helps and I’m able to talk.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments