Yahoo News Neighbours star Olympia Valance issues powerful statement after 'traumatising' photo leak
Olympia Valance has revealed she has been the victim of a cyber attack, issuing a powerful statement after intimate photos of her were shared online without her consent.
The Neighbours actress, who plays Paige Smith in the popular Australian soap, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a message with her 215k followers.
"I am writing this as confirmation that I know I have become a victim of cyber crime," she wrote.
"I have been dealing with this for a over a year now since my phone was compromised by a hacking of private images, which were then published online.
A post shared by O L Y M P I A V A L A N C E (@olympiavalance) on Aug 19, 2020 at 6:49pm PDT
"I have since had to deal with this again recently, when new images were recirculated, retraumatising me and pushing my anxiety into a space it has never been."
The 27-year-old went on to say that "taking intimate photos for yourself, or to share with a partner is not a shameful thing to do. Stealing them and sharing them online without consent is."
Olympia, whose older sister is singer and actress Holly Valance, also stressed that people "should be allowed to embrace our sexuality without fear that someone will take these images and manipulate them for their own game."
Valance shared a message of solidarity with fellow victims of cyber crime, stating: "We have to figure out a way to stand together and say it's hacking and destruction of illegally obtained images, not the taking of them that is shameful."
She concluded the lengthy post, which has already received over 16,000 likes, by saying: "I'm not ashamed.
"I'm not embarrassed. I will not apologise. I have done nothing wrong."
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