Love Island’s Zara McDermott has revealed that she was a victim of revenge porn at just 14-years-old.
The 23-year-old, who is currently starring on Made In Chelsea, spoke about her involvement in an upcoming documentary about revenge porn – and how she has personally been affected by it.
Zara opened up about her experience on Virgin Media One’s The Six O’Clock Show, and revealed how she coped with the trauma during her teenage years.
“My first experience with revenge porn was when I was 14-year-old,” she told Muireann O’Connell and Martin King via video chat. “And again when I was 21. So it’s happened to me twice…”
“What I’m trying to do with this documentary is to educate people to stop blaming the victim and show the true negative consequences of spreading revenge porn.”
The reality star explained that a boy she was texting sent a private photo of her to everyone in her school – including her teachers.
“When I was fourteen, I had a guy who I was kind off speaking to… He kind of pressured me into sending an image of myself,” Zara said.
“He essentially sent it around my entire school, including the teachers, the following day.”
This was quite something to hear this evening.
TV star Zara McDermott discussing her upcoming documentary on revenge porn and revealing her first-hand experience of it at just 14-years-old.#SixVMTV pic.twitter.com/pMx7RMugO6
— Six O’Clock Show (@SixOClockShow) May 28, 2020
Zara admitted it was “really hard” to cope during her time in school, and said, “I never recovered from it until I got my job in Government – and that was when I was finally able to become a confident young woman.”
“But it has stayed with me my whole life,” she added.
Zara also said she felt like teachers blamed her for the incident, rather than the boy who had sent the picture around school.
“I actually got suspended from school for it,” she confessed.
When she starred on Love Island in 2018, Zara fell victim to revenge porn for the second time – when explicit videos and photos of her started circulating on WhatsApp.
The upcoming BBC Three documentary will follow Zara as she tries to understand the motivation behind the act of sharing private photos.
She is currently in a relationship with fellow Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson.
On this week’s episode of #GossChats, Ali Ryan chats to Love Island winner and rugby star Greg O’Shea about his experience on the reality show, what REALLY happened after his split from Amber Gill, and some of the strange things women have sent him in his DMs…
#GossChats is sponsored by top Irish aesthetic clinic Haus of JeJuve.
