Emily Atack has revealed she is subjected to “relentless and disgusting” rape threats online that have led her to call the police.
The actress, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, said she is targeted with around 200 harassing messages on social media a day, including those that threaten her safety.
The 32-year-old said she has had to move home four times as a result of the abuse, telling The Sun on Sunday: “They knew where I lived, said what they were going to do to me, even my family. I got the police involved.”
The Inbetweeners star continued: ”I’ve had people commenting on my body, my face, my hair, calling me fat, an untalented piece of s***, annoying, whatever, my whole life.”
“I’ve developed quite a thick skin. But when I started getting actual rape threats, and felt my safety was in jeopardy, it became too much.”
She added that there is one man who creates new accounts every time she blocks him, telling the publication: “He’s relentless and disgusting – beyond anything you can imagine. Yet he says he’s a married man with children.”
“He sends rape threats, says what he wants to do to me while his wife is in the room, and sends messages saying his children are downstairs in their playroom while he’s pleasuring himself over me.”
“These men are exposing themselves to me, doing this, in a more private way, in my direct messages, where I can’t avoid it. It feels shameful.”
“It has made me question my entire existence at times, and how men see me,” Emily admitted.
The Celebrity Juice star said she is now calling on social media companies to clamp down on such behaviour online to protect women.
She told the outlet: “It is assault and abuse. I should have the right to be able to go in [to my DMs] safely.”
“More needs to be done to protect women.”
