Bobby Norris won’t let online bullies “win” and feels nasty jibes say “more about the troll” than the person they target.
The 32-year-old reality star has insisted that although he does get “hurt” by cruel comments on social media, he’s learned to have a “thick skin” over his eight years on ‘The Only Way is Essex’ and feels nasty jibes say “more about the troll” than the person they target.
Speaking on ‘This Morning’, he said:
“Everyone says you’ve gotta have a thick skin and you do but I think we’d all be lying and wouldn’t be human if it didn’t hurt.
And it’s just curiosity that you wanna know what people are saying about you but I’m a big believer, it says a lot more about the troll than it does the person they’re trolling.
There’s like professional trolls out there, they set up these accounts just to try and upset you and this is the thing you can’t let them win.”
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Bobby went on to explain that his life was changed overnight by the fame he received on ‘TOWIE’ and that he feels most people he meets in person are “lovely” and that he thinks online bullies are only brave enough to make vindictive comments while hiding behind a screen.
He said:
“I suppose it’s really different with ‘TOWIE’ because it goes out every week, literally your first episode goes out one night and your life is sort of, it changes.
So I remember going for a spray tan the day after and people stopping me and it’s lovely that’s the massive thing.
99 per cent of the people they’re so lovely and I don’t think trolls would ever really say what they feel brave enough on twitter or social media.”
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Bobby launched the campaign ‘Bobby’s Bill’ to ban homophobic trolling online, and he recently admitted he’s received more hate online since he announced his plans to take action.
He said:
“My petition’s to make online homophobia a crime, cause on social media, ironically, since speaking about it on ‘TOWIE’ and various media and platforms, it’s gotten worse for me; but I’m not doing it just for me, I’m 32, I’ve got thick skin, I’ve been in the industry for eight years, I can handle it.
I mean, I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t hurt me and upset me, of course it does I’m human, but when I get messages from parents that are telling me that their children are hurting themselves, like self-harming and actually some of them are taking their own lives because of on-line homophobia, it’s disgusting.
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If I can use my platform to save one more kid from killing themselves, to me, job done.”