I’m A Celebrity 2021: Abbie Chatfield opens up about online bullying

From being called an idiot to being given step-by-step instructions on how to kill herself, reality TV star Abbie Chatfield knows all too well about online bullying.

Reality TV bad girl Abbie Chatfield says she is not afraid to take one for the team.

Again in the spotlight as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, the former Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise star says she cops abuse, and death threats, daily.

“I am okay being the sacrificial lamb. It has been my life since the Bachelor,” Chatfield told The Daily Telegraph.

Reality star Abbie Chatfield.

“I get trolled every day. It ranges from ‘you’re an idiot’ to instructions on how to kill myself, reasons why I should kill myself or death threats.”

Chatfield’s comments come weeks after the Federal Government introduced tough new laws combating online trolling where people who troll children and adults will risk six-figure fines under the world-first Australian cyber safety laws.

“Anything tangible the government can do is important because up until now there has been nothing you could do,” she said. “I have called the police before and they just told me to block the troll. It is good to have an actual punishment to deter people.”

Chatfield, 25, stands out on television and online because she speaks her mind on issues important to her. That has ranged from body positivity and speaking out against body shamers to being a proud feminist.

It has however put her in the firing line on social media, where keyboard warriors attack with the protection of anonymity.

I’m A Celebrity 2021 cast revealed: (L-R) Ash Williams, Toni Pearen, Travis Varcoe, Paulini, Jess Eva, Mel Buttle, Abbie Chatfield, Grant Denyer and Jack Vidgen

“I am used to it now … that is just the reality,” said the host of hit podcast, It’s A Lot. “It does mess with my head a bit personally. I have weeks where I can’t look in the mirror because I get told I am revolting at every turn.”

Of body shaming specifically, she continued: “I am a size eight and about five foot three. I have a ‘conventionally approved body’ and what makes me most upset about people’s comments is that women who aren’t my size or who have any other body shape, they then feel bad about themselves seeing me being body shamed. It just isn’t right. I don’t want others to experience that. That is what weighs on my mind more than any personal attacks.”

Despite her obvious strength of character, Chatfield said she had some reservations about her latest foray into reality television, namely a fear of being hated by fellow contestants.

I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here season seven cast member Abbie Chatfield.

“I was a bit scared of being disliked by everyone,” she said of the show, which was prerecorded this year. “I did speak my mind but I wasn’t as perhaps blunt as I would have been if it was in a real life situation. I kind of regret that to be honest.”

Just two episodes in and single Chatfield is already being romantically linked to comedian Ash Williams.

She is based in Queensland currently but is planning a move to Sydney, where Williams lives in Bondi.

“I love Ash, I adore him. We've been talking,” she said, careful with her words. “We’ve had a few Facetimes since we finished filming. Who knows? I think he is the best and he has an amazing rig. We’ve been talking a fair bit and maybe you can ask him what is going on for some clarification.”

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