Emily Atack left in tears admitting she blamed herself for unsolicited messages

Emily Atack was left in tears as she reflected on the impact that receiving hundreds of unsolicited sexual messages and pictures from men online has had on her.

Speaking candidly in her documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It?, the TV star said she felt as though she was to blame for the barrage of messages sent by strangers via Instagram.

The 33-year-old wiped away tears as she told her mum Kate Robbins that she finds it “difficult” to talk about the impact of it because of how it affects her and the people around her.

She told her mother: “I see the pain in your face when we try and talk about things. We can’t talk about them because it’s too difficult.

“It’s very difficult – the overriding feeling of guilt is a difficult one to explain to people.

Beginning to tear up, Atack said: “I don’t know why I’m getting upset, I think I’m really tired. Sorry, it’s just so uncomfortable.”

Comforting her daughter, Robbins responded: “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself.”

Earlier in the programme, The Inbetweeners star’s mother admitted she didn’t expect the messages to be as bad as they were after she read the inappropriate DMs she had received.

Robbins said: “I didn’t expect it to be so vile, I felt my daughter had been violated and I couldn’t protect you.”

On Tuesday (January 31), Atack said she has become as “easy target” for online predators because she’s single with an unwarranted reputation for “sleeping with lots of men”.

Appearing on This Morning, she told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield: “I am just trying to live my life as a free woman without being harassed... when you get messages like that you feel so alone and isolated, it’s this spiral of self-doubt and shame and doubt.”

The Celebrity Juice star said she has contacted social media companies, such as Instagram and TikTok, looking for assistance to shut some of the offending accounts down, but claimed she was met with a wall of silence.

Atack then recalled how her account was once shut down after she “violated” house rules by reposting a vile message in the hope of shaming its sender.

She shared: “There was a message that was so upsetting to me, I put it up and my account was actually suspended for a couple of days because I reposted the photograph.”

Emily Atack: Asking For It? is available on BBC iPlayer