Adriana, the face of Obamacare, was 'cyberbullied' she tells ABC News

SHE was the smiling face on the 'Obamacare' website but that smile has disappeared as the woman involved says she has been the target of cyberbullies.

Adriana

SHE was the smiling face on the 'Obamacare' website but that smile has disappeared as the woman involved says she has been the target of cyberbullies.

Speaking with ABC News in the US, Adriana, who did not give her last name, said she agreed to have her face used for the campaign in exchange for free family photographs.

The HealthGov.com website has been plagued by troubles since it was launched on October 1 with people unable to log on or experiencing excruciating wait times to sign up for the Obama Administration's new health program.

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Adriana says she doesn't understand why she has become the face of late-night jokes, countless memes and partisan hatred.

"I don't know why people should hate me because it's just a photo. I didn't design the website. I didn't make it fail, so I don't think they should have any reasons to hate me," she said. "(These people) have nothing else to do but hide behind the computer. They're cyberbullying."

"I'm here to stand up for myself and defend myself and let people know the truth," she said.

Rumours speculated that Adriana wasn't even a legal resident of the US. She says she lives in Maryland with her 21-month old son and husband of six-and-a-half years. Her husband and son are both Americans but Adriana, who is Colombian, is a permanent resident and is applying for citizenship.

She is eligible for healthcare under 'Obamacare' but she hasn't signed up for it. She says she is neither in favour or against the proposal.

She says she was relieved when her photo was removed from the website two weeks ago.

"They took the picture down. I wanted the picture down, and they wanted the picture down. I don't think anybody wanted to focus on the picture."

The ordeal has been frequently compared to an episode of Friends where Joey poses for a stock photo which is then used as a mass anti-STD advertisement across New York