'I still message Caroline Flack’: Scarlett Moffatt reveals her social media heartache

TV presenter Scarlett Moffatt, who rose to fame on Googlebox, has spoken about how mean comments on social media led her to call the Samaritans.

Speaking on White Wine Question Time, the presenter said things got so bad with trolls that the helpline felt like her only option.

“I’d give a fake name and I’d chat for 15 minutes,” she told host Kate Thornton. “It really, really did help.”

Since the death of fellow TV presenter Caroline Flack in February, Scarlett has been hoping that social media could become a kinder place. In fact, the death of the Love Island presenter has really left its mark on Scarlett, who still messages her every now and then.

“Actually, I still now message Caroline on her Instagram,” she revealed. “I know some people might be like, 'Why do you do that?', but I still just message her... Just like love hearts and things like that.”

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She continued: “She's still always in my thoughts because it's just so sad and also there’s anger in that it happened.”

The former I’m A Celebrity winner recently wrote a piece in Grazia magazine about how trolls targeted her looks, in particular her nose, accusing her of having plastic surgery.

“I was getting loads of stick for my nose,” she told Kate. “This is the nose I was born with!”

Scarlett, who is currently in lockdown with policeman boyfriend, Scott Dobinson, says she now deals with trolls by referring them to the Samaritans.

She said: “I've never been in a place where I've been that sad that I feel like I have to put other people down to make myself feel better. How must they be feeling to have so much hatred towards someone they've never met and feel like they have to voice that?”

On the whole, her approach seems to work. The County Durham native told Kate that almost all of the time the trolls apologise and blame their nasty words on having a bad day.

Scarlett revealed that since filming The British Tribe Next Door, a show where her and her family were relocated to the middle of a Namibian tribal village, she’s found her voice once more.

“I feel like I can say things now,” she said. “For so long, I was a bit worried about what the reaction was going to be from the press and people, whereas now I'm just like 'Oh sod it!'.”

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When asked by Kate what good things she hopes will come out of the lockdown, Scarlett says she just wants everyone to be a little bit kinder to each other.

“I'm hoping that people are having a lot of time now to sit at home and reflect,” she said. “I hope that they use that time to become better people and to realise that we're all just human.”

Hear Scarlett Moffatt talk more about living her life on social media and how she’s coping with lockdown life on the latest episode of White Wine Question Time. Listen now on iTunes and Spotify.