Loose Women star India Willoughby ‘thought about ending her life’ after death threats on Twitter
(Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)India Willoughby has revealed she has been struggling with suicidal thoughts after receiving vile transphobic abuse and even death threats on Twitter.
Willoughby, known for appearing on Loose Women and as being the UK’s first trans newsreader, quit the micro-blogging site on Wednesday following a row regarding a tampon advert which triggered an onslaught of abuse.
The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant said that she no longer felt safe on the platform after receiving vile messages, which left her feeling “worthless”.
Willoughby, 57, told MyLondon: “Last night, I thought that I was going to kill myself and that’s exactly what they want. I feel worthless, nobody listens, nobody wants me to have a voice.
“I’ve just had enough. This week has been horrendous and it’s quite clear that there’s no protection [from] Elon Musk. Trans people aren’t allowed in mainstream media, the only medium is social media and it’s pushing us further back into the closet and back in the shadows.”
The TV personality also claimed that the abuse she faces on the app has got worse since Elon Musk took over the tech company, describing the abuse she’s received in recent weeks as “horrendous”.
She said: “As I’m relatively well-known, to some small degree people talk about the hate I recieve as more people can see it but this hatred is happening everyday to trans people across the platform – trans people’s pain isn’t recognised.”
Willoughby previously saw the app as “a lifeline” for the trans community, but her optimism over attitudes towards trans people has sunk thanks to her experience online.
“Britain has become a scary place and I’m really scared for my life,” she shared with the outlet.
