Kathryn Thomas has revealed the gardaí got involved after she was subjected to “disgusting” and “misogynistic” abuse.
The Operation Transformation host shared her personal story in the wake of Holly Willoughby’s alleged kidnap and murder plot.
The Carlow native said she received “reoccurring” letters from a number of “very odd” men while she was presenting Winning Streak, and RTÉ reported the correspondence to gardaí.
Speaking about the content of the letters, the 44-year-old told The Sunday Independent: “Weird. Just very weird stuff. Clearly they had been watching you on TV and then would write a letter every week.”
“It was really graphic and disgusting language and really targeted. It was mostly sexual. How f**king dare you wear a skirt that short? It was misogynistic. They would say, ‘You have it coming to you’. And for a time, that was reoccurring.”
Kathryn said the letters made her “skin crawl… I wouldn’t say it was water off a duck’s back”.
The popular presenter also revealed some of her RTÉ colleagues have had similar experiences.
“I know of colleagues of mine who have got text messages… how did they get their number? That’s a worry,” she continued.
Kathryn said the letters, which she has requested are opened by RTÉ staff in the post room, turned into “nasty” direct messages on social media.
She told the publication: “Now anyone can get into your phone and, if you allow it, get into your head. A lot of the backlash for Operation Transformation was happening [on social media.]”
“That was where there was really nasty s**t coming in to my DMs on Instagram about my involvement with the show.”
“I’m in this game for 25 years so I know how to handle that.”
Kathryn went on to say: “Everybody is entitled to their opinion about the work you do — but I think there is a level of respect here that has sadly been missing in the UK press for decades.”
“Couple that with the accessibility of [high-profile] people through social media and that is dangerous for Holly [Willoughby]. No career is worth that.”
