Annie Knight reveals dark side to online stardom

To the outside world, Annie Knight has the world at her feet as she rakes in millions with online fame. But there is a dark truth behind the stardom.

At just 14 years old, Annie Knight was called a “slut” for the first time in her life.

Two years later, a nasty rumour spread that she was sleeping around with boys at her school.

The truth was, she had never even kissed anyone, let alone had sex.

“When I was 14, my ‘best friend’ wrote to this anonymous website at the time and called me a slut,” the 27-year-old told news.com.au.

“But I never even kissed a boy. They said really horrible things about my body.

“I found out later it was my best friend and that was really awful.

Annie is no stranger to online trolls. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

She was bullied a few times back in high school. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

“Then when I was 16 I went to a party and the next day a condom was found in the laundry.

“Someone posted it on the event wall and everyone was saying it was me but it wasn’t. I’d never had sex before.”

Fast forward 10 years, Annie is in the prime of her life. She is raking in millions with her adult content creation and has amassed over 150,000 followers on Instagram.

While it might look like she has it all, there is a dark and dangerous side to her online fame.

It started with cruel comments about her looks, but soon morphed into something much more sinister.

The Gold Coast star is raising awareness. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

“People initially attacked my physical appearance,” she said.

“They would say I had a ‘huge forehead’ and ‘looks like an alien’. They said ‘if you earn so much money why don’t you fix your teeth’ and that kind of stuff.

“Then as I started discussing my sexual experiences online it turned into comments like ‘who would want this?’ and ‘Can’t be true because who’d want to rail that?’.

“They would say things about my family and say that I ‘must not have a dad’ or that I was ‘riddled with STIs’.

“People on the internet just have no filter.”

She has received death threats in the past. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

Although most of the hate comes in the form of abusive online comments, there have been times where Annie has felt true fear about what the trolls might be capable of in an offline setting.

She has been targeted with death threats and even had bullies telling she should take her own life.

“There was a point late last year where I was really concerned about making public appearances,” she revealed.

“I truly felt like people really hated me to the point of wanting to harm me.

“I still get death threats all the time and people telling me I should kill myself.

“It actually got so bad people started messaging my friends, who have no online personas, and started sending them death threats and hate.

She says it all stems from jealousy. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

“I just ignored it and did my best to be vigilant. But in hindsight, I really should have gone to the police.

“However, I didn’t know if they’d take it seriously.”

Despite all this, Annie tries her best never to let the bullying or hate get her down.

She has stopped reading comments and messages and instead just focuses on her life.

“People can be hateful but it is all because they are jealous,” she said.

“Now I usually just block any bullies. But I never read my DMs or comments anymore, so I don’t ever see negative messages.

“But it’s funny, as the more hate I got the more money I made and the more successful I became.

“So the success has always outweighed the hate. But there have been days I’d struggle with it.

“I always just remind myself I’m winning in every aspect and that these bullies might be so sad and bored with their lives to be messaging me.

“Why would you take time out of your day to send hateful things? It’s sad really.”

She tries not to let the bullies get her down. Picture: Instagram / @anniekknight

Annie encourages anyone experiencing online abuse to keep their heads high and to never let the darkness win.

She also believes the only reason people act this way stems from one simple thing: jealousy.

“I think it’s important to realise why it is they are bullying you,” she said.

“I can say with absolute certainty that 98 per cent of bullying comes from jealousy.

“So if you’re being bullied, it’s likely the bully is deeply insecure and jealous of you and therefore taking it out on you.

“The best thing to do is practice self love, hold your head high, don’t let them win

“Ignore them and keep being you. Block them if you can.

“If it gets really bad, talk to your friends and family and get some support to help you handle it. You’re never alone.”

Originally published as Annie Knight reveals dark side to online stardom