Alex Nation reveals online abuse over Bachelor win on The Project

Alex Nation’s Bachelor win sparked unprecedented outrage among viewers. Now almost three years later she’s revealed the shocking toll it took on her.

Alex Nation was happy and in love when The Bachelor finale aired in 2016.

The secret was finally out that she was with Bachelor Richie Strahan, and Nation was preparing to make the publicity rounds debuting their new relationship.

But to her shock Nation was inundated with scores of hateful messages on Instagram from people angry that Strahan had picked her over runner-up Nikki Gogan.

“I woke up the next morning after the finale, getting ready to do all of my fun radio rounds with Richie and then it was just a barrage of hate and trolling and private messages,” she told Magda Szubanski on Friday’s episode of The Project.

Szubanski is also no stranger to online abuse and was recently targeted over her GoFundMe campaign that she launched in response to Israel Folau’s controversial online fundraiser.

The backlash against Szubanski’s campaign — which called for donations to help children with cancer and at risk LGBTIQ youth — was so severe Folau publicly called for the abuse to stop.

“Most of it is silly, sometimes it’s sad and, occasionally it’s a bit scary,” Szubanski said on The Project. “I’ve been famous for a long time, but nothing prepared me for this kind of warfare.”

RELATED: Bachelor star Alex Nation responds to ‘mum shamers’

Alex Nation details shocking online abuse she’s received since The Bachelor aired.

The Bachelor star spoke to Magda Szubanski, who has also been targeted by hateful comments online.

Nation says the comments and messages “started to spiral out of control”, and still haven’t gone away nearly three years later.

The haters now focus on different parts of her life — the fact she is a single mother to son Elijah, her employment and her sexuality.

Since splitting from Strahan, Nation has found herself in the headlines over her relationship with Maegan Luxa and a stint on Bachelor in Paradise this year.

On Bachelor in Paradise Nation was reunited with Strahan and the pair clashed in front of the cameras over their split and she began a relationship with Bachelorette star Bill Goldsmith.

“I’d get messages from people saying your son should be in foster care, he’s better off without you, he should be with his dad full time,” Nation told The Project.

“I think that being told you’re a bad mother must be one of the most painful things you can hear. I could never understand how someone could say that to a person, ever.”

But the messages don’t stop there, with Nation leaving Szubanski speechless after describing the worst online abuse she’s received.

Nation was trolled over Strahan’s decision to pick her over Gogan.

“I have been sent a step-by-step of how to kill myself, pictures of how to do it, I’ve been told that I’m better off dead and my son’s better off without me,” Nation said, fighting back tears. “Yeah, really awful stuff.”

Nation pleaded with people to think before they sent hateful messages to someone, warning that you “don’t know what the person’s headspace is”.

“The reality of it is, your words can be final and that’s it,” she said.

Nation isn’t the only reality star to admit to struggling with relentless abuse from trolls. Last year Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel claimed she tried to take her own life after struggling with cyber bullies.

In 2018 The Bachelor’s Cat Henesey — who was accused of bullying on the series — named and shamed one troll who sent her hateful message telling her to “f**king kill yourself” revealing she had received hundreds of messages like this.

In the UK, two stars of hit reality show Love Island have taken their lives after reportedly struggling in the limelight.

If you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp

The Project airs Sunday to Friday at 6.30pm on Network 10