Louise Minchin deletes social media apps after receiving hateful online messages

BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin has taken a step back from her social media accounts, declaring she's "had enough" of online negativity.

The 52-year-old has shared she finds difficulty "shrugging off" hateful comments made about her so has decided to come away from online platforms.

Minchin wrote in Cheshire Life magazine: “You might think I am oversensitive (I probably am), and need to grow a thicker skin (I probably do), but the truth is I can read a hundred nice comments about me but it will be the nasty one I will remember, try as I might to shrug it off.

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“Recently the level of acrimony on social media reached unnerving levels, with people constantly shouting at each other, whipping up outrage and throwing around wild assumptions.

“I realised, I had had enough of reading it and being drawn into the cycle of negativity.”

The topic was then discussed on BBC Breakfast this morning between Minchin and Dan Walker, where she clarified that while she hasn't removed her profiles and occasionally signs in, she has deleted the apps from her phone.

She has also received support from her co-host online after one Twitter user questioned why anyone would disparage Minchin.

Walker, who is an active social media user, explained: "If you read some of the bile that comes through it would be easy to see why she made the decision. As Louise said... "I was allowing people into my house to shout at me. I decided to close the front door"."

Of course, Minchin isn't the first star to scale back on their use of social media as in the past year the same steps have been taken by famous faces including Channing Tatum and Lily Allen.

Outspoken singer Allen confessed to spending seven hours a day on her phone and believed it wasn’t doing her any good, while Tatum wanted to take a break to fuel his creativity.

Tatum returned after several months, while Allen can still be found posting pictures on Instagram, although she no longer has a public Twitter profile.