Being a Love Island star might look glitzy and glamorous from the outside but behind the scenes, contestants are exposed to an unfathomable amount of online abuse. In the latest shock confession, Anna Vakili has revealed that she was called a ‘terrorist’ by cruel online trolls.
At Monday’s TV Choice Awards, Anna revealed the shocking racist abuse she’d received online since starring on the show. Speaking to the press, she said: “When I’m getting DMs like ‘you Arab ****’, ‘you terrorist’, stuff like that is a sensitive topic and people were getting at me about that.”
Referencing her Iranian heritage, Anna said: “People don’t understand that racism comes in all types not just skin colour.” She added: “The thing I love about black communities is that they stick together, but Middle Easterns they don’t stick together, they don’t have that support.”
On top of racist remarks, Anna reflected on the body-shaming she’d received throughout Love Island and after the show wrapped. “I have been attacked a lot ever since my photo was released, about my looks. I have an attitude but I was not the only girl in the villa with an attitude and that’s the truth.”
Despite having a strong support system around her, including her family who she describes as ‘therapy‘, the reality contestant admitted she felt “attacked more than anybody.”
This comes after Anna hit back at trolls who compared her Love Island press shots to a Dolmio advert. Uploading a photo of her eating pasta to Instagram, Anna wrote: “DOLMIO never tasted so good”. You tell ’em!
Trolls may sadly have become an inevitable part of life in the public eye, particularly with reality TV, but surely we have to draw a line somewhere?
Make a start by thinking before you type, always.
