Stormy Daniels: I get crazy hate mail and death threats

Stormy Daniels has said she sometimes fears for her safety as she said speaking out about her alleged affair with Donald Trump made her feel safer because she was “hiding in plain sight”.

Asked if she felt if her life was under threat, she said: “My answer to that question is going to change daily. Some days I can slip out and go about my day and I almost feel normal for a minute and then I look around and I've got two big bodyguards behind me. Another day, I get crazy hate mail and death threats.”

Asked about her thoughts about Trump, she replied: “I think that he's a man who's in over his head.”

The adult film star hit the headlines after alleging she had an affair in 2006 with the future US president. Trump’s personal lawyer paid $130,000 (£100,000) to Daniels during the last US presidential election but the US president has always denied her claim.

Daniels was due to appear on the current series of Channel 5 reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother but pulled out last week at the last minute.

“I get crazy hate mail and death threats,” she told the ITV talkshow Loose Women, in an interview broadcast on Monday, explaining how the alleged affair has affected her life.

“I felt like owning it, and standing up, and saying I’m not ashamed and I won’t be bullied.”

Daniels said her seven-year-old daughter, who is currently at the centre of a custody dispute, knows that “something happened” between her mother and Trump.

“My biggest fear is that her life is going to be changed forever in a negative way, which was also one of the reasons I decided to come forward and start speaking up, because I wanted to be someone she was proud of.”

Daniels had been due to appear on Loose Women last Friday but failed to make it on to the show despite turning up at the studio, blaming ongoing legal action. Instead the show was reduced to the bizarre spectacle of presenter Jane Moore recounting a backstage conversation with the adult film star.

On Monday the show aired edited highlights of a pre-recorded 40 minute interview with Daniels and said that she had received no fee for the interview, with a donation made to Oxfam instead.

“I was supposed to come on and speak to you guys and lawyers talked to lawyers and tried to keep me from doing that,” said Daniels. “As we know from my reputation that doesn’t normally work out well for people.”

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” she said, not denying suggestions that she was originally offered up to £750,000 to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. “They offered me a lot of money.”

“I got word there was a development in my custody case, was very honest with my producers that I was uncomfortable spending the night in the house. Being a mum comes first.”

“I wanted to go on to the live show, because I knew there was an audience, apologise in person, explain myself, see what could be worked out. I gave up my entire fee and asked that it be donated to charity.”

Celebrity Big Brother has pushed ahead without Daniels, insisting the show can survive without its highest-profile booked contestant. Newspaper reports have suggested that she was unhappy with the producers’ decision to build a special White House-themed set for her appearance. The show pushed ahead without her but still featured Trump-themed tasks involving hosting a Mexico-US border wall.

Channel 5 said that Daniels pulled out of the show hours before the show was due to go live and said reports that Daniels asked for more money at the last minute were completely false.

Daniels told Loose Women she hoped that soon people would “forget who I am entirely and I live in a horse farm in the middle of nowhere”.

“I made my own choices and I’m responsible for my own actions,” she added.