Love Island’s Georgia Steel makes shock decision following 'vile' trolling and death threats over All Stars appearance
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
Even though the Love Island: All Stars series came to an end back in February, there's been a whole lot of buzz online from viewers and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
By now, I'm sure many people are aware of the severe backlash Georgia Steel endured following her appearance on the ITV reality dating show.
And, months later, the former Islander has shared her shock decision following vile trolling and death threats over her All Stars appearance.
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It got so bad that Georgia's family previously issued a statement after she got a bunch of 'vile threats' and 'nasty' messages from viewers of the programme following the PDA Awards.
Since then, Georgia has opened up about the social media scrutiny she's faced.
When asked by The Sun if she had suicidal thoughts, the 26-year-old replied: "I don’t want to use that term lightly at all as so many people are affected by suicide and my heart goes out to them, but there were times where I was thinking, 'What is the point? Everyone hates me'.
"That is literally how I felt, like everyone hated me, and if it wasn’t for my family and my really, really close friends and their support then who knows, I could have gone down the road of suicidal thoughts."
Georgia revealed she felt 'trapped' by the situation, adding: "If it wasn’t for my family and friends then that could have been really dark.
"There are a lot of people out there who don’t have the support network that I do.
"I am glad it happened to me rather than anyone else in there because I know I can get through it."
The reality TV star carried on, acknowledging: "I have the support to get through it and I can get through it.
"We have seen it first hand when people come off television shows and have gone down really dark paths and something needs to change before it is too late."
Opening up some more about the support she's had from her family, Georgia went on: "Whenever I have some doubts or think, 'Oh God, am I awful? Am I an awful person? Am I bad?' I ask them.
"You don’t know who the trolls are, so they could be anyone, that is what is scary.
"I could be walking down the street thinking, 'Oh God, is she the one who wants to kill my family?' That is the worst part."
She also admitted she was 'scared' to leave her house out of fears of being 'egged' or that something may happen to her car.
The Love Island alum revealed that her parents thought about getting the police involved after they were forced to turn off comments on her Instagram account.
"My brother got messages like, ‘How could you have a sister like this', while my mum got, 'You should be so disappointed that you raised a girl like this'.
"I hate saying these things out loud because it is just awful.
"The police can get involved but they can’t really do anything. These are people on anonymous accounts and we have no idea where they are, who they are or where they are from."
Following the immense backlash, Georgia has shared that she's going to take a 'step back' from reality TV.
When asked if she was ready to walk away from that part of her life, she responded: "Yes, 100 percent. I have made a concrete decision. I don’t want to do anything that can be taken out of my control or alter how I am perceived.
"I am 26 now and I don’t want people to think that I am someone I am not, so I have taken a step back."
She did, however, note that she 'would love' to do Strictly Come Dancing or pursue 'serious avenues' where she is 'not the entertainment' as such.
A spokesperson from ITV previously said: "We would always urge our viewers to be kind when engaging in social media conversations about our Islanders, and to remember that they are real people with feelings."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Love Island, Celebrity, TV And Film, ITV, Mental Health
Rhiannon Ingle