Billie Eilish: Social media comments were ruining my life

Billie Eilish has said she stopped reading comments on Instagram because, “it was ruining [her] life”.

The 18-year-old singer - who has been propelled into the spotlight, winning five Grammy awards and singing the new James Bond theme No Time To Die - admitted she recently had to stop looking at what people were writing about her on social media.

Asked by the BBC if she read Instagram comments, Eilish said: “No, no I stopped like two days ago. Literally two days ago. I stopped reading comments fully. Because it was ruining my life. Once again.”

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Her brother Finneas O'Connell, 22, with whom she writes her music, said: “I think you might see someone like a famous celebrity and you may think, ‘Sticks and stones, nothing I say is going to be potent to them…’ but it’s all very equal online.”

Eilish added: “It’s worse, it’s way worse than it’s ever been right now.”

Former child star Justin Bieber, 25, said in a recent interview that he was concerned for Eilish and wanted to protect her.

In a tearful interview the Sorry singer said: “Let her do her thing. If she ever needs me I’m going to be here for her.

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“Just protecting those moments because people take for granted encounters and…I just want to protect her, you know. I don’t want her to lose it.”

Eilish shared pictures of her teenage bedroom on Instagram revealing she used to be a Bieber fan, known as Beliebers.