Bobby Norris has opened up emotionally about the horrific online abuse and death threats he faced after starring in The Only Way Is Essex.
The TV personality, 38, was catapulted to fame when she joined the cast of the ITVBe reality show in 2012 and stayed on the series for nine years before leaving for good in 2021.
But while being part of the show had its positives, Bobby reflected that he went through some really dark times as social media developed, with trolls attacking him because of his sexuality.
talking to his Radio FUBAR co-star Ellen Coughlan on the political Halloween special, Politics Uncensored, Bobby detailed the vile messages he received after filming the TV show.
He shared: “I love social media, but I’ve been through it, and this is something actually, I’m not sure if a lot of people know this, but I think in 2019, I was on a big reality show at the time, and I was receiving a lot of abuse on social media, mainly because of my sexuality.
Bobby Norris has opened up emotionally about the horrific online abuse and death threats he faced after starring in The Only Way Is Essex.
The TV personality, 38, was catapulted to fame when he joined the cast of the ITVBe reality show in 2012 and stayed on the series for nine years before leaving for good in 2021 (pictured on the show in 2012).
‘There was this, I think another death threat came. And when I say that it sounds very frivolous, but it was literally another one who was outside my house and was going to put a Molotov cocktail on me.’
Continuing to talk about her ordeal, she added: “It was a difficult time. I have thick skin. So I never lost sleep over it. And I was very aware. I thought, I can deal with this.
‘But I know Bobby, aged 13 or 14, wouldn’t have been able to handle it. They didn’t just say: Bob, I don’t like your hair. I don’t like your hair dryer today, or I don’t like that Louis Vuitton bag. No, we’re talking about really dark things.
As a result of the homophobic abuse he suffered online, Bobby campaigned for legislation to be changed to make online homophobia a specific offence, as the legislation then in place was passed before the internet “as we know it today”.
Detailing his campaign efforts, Bobby explained: “I created a petition in my room. And I think this was in 2019, so I campaigned for, I think, about four or five years.
“Well, yes, it’s been in the law for a year now, yes, to set a goal or have some kind of legislation about how people can talk online.”
On the outcome of his campaign, he continued: “I went to Downing Street. I have been to Parliament several times to debate and fortunately, after four or five years of campaigning, it became law, and it is the Online Safety Act.
‘It’s not about the snowflake generation saying they don’t like something about you. It is not based on opinions. We are talking about threats, violence, threats, violence, discrimination, dark things.
But while being part of the show had its positives, Bobby reflected that he went through some really dark times as social media developed, with trolls attacking him because of his sexuality.
Speaking to his FUBAR Radio co-star Ellen Coughlan on the political Halloween special Politics Uncensored, Bobby detailed the vile messages he received after filming the TV show (pictured TOWIE with Ferne McCann, Billie Faiers and Gemma Collins).
Bobby previously spoke out about the online abuse he faced and revealed in 2020 that he took a break from social media as a result.
The star admitted that he left the platform after receiving death threats and acid attacks for being gay.
speaking in Radio FUBAR At the time, the media personality also touched on the impact of the Be Kind campaign, as she claimed people were “back to trolling” just months after the death of Love Island presenter Caroline Flack.
In an interview with former presenters Joanna Chimonides and Stephen Leng on Access All Areas, Bobby explained: “It’s very disappointing that something that’s set up to be a positive place is being tarnished with trolls who clearly get something out of it.
Bobby previously spoke out about the online abuse he faced and revealed in 2020 that he took a break from social media as a result.
‘There’s that double-edged side where you don’t really want to address it and give them the platform. But also… it’s almost strange not to.
‘It’s absolutely horrible and vile. To the point where from Saturday night to Monday morning I was like, “I’m going to take a break from social media, this is so packed.”
It comes after Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win star Jason Fox revealed that Bobby unexpectedly won him over during his time on the show.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the TV tough man has revealed that the celebrity managed to do the unthinkable and change his point of view completely, going from seeming “useless” to leaving Jason “quite impressed”.
Reflecting on the show’s most recent season, the former Royal Marine and SBS, 48, revealed that Bobby won him over and was “easily the standout person who made the biggest improvement on the show.”
While Bobby was forced to leave the show after a brutal challenge took a wrong turn, Jason named him as the contestant who left a lasting impact.
The reality star was dropped from the Channel 4 show after suffering an injury during a wrestling match.
During an SAS training event to raise awareness for the Armed Forces charity SSAFA, Jason revealed that he didn’t have high hopes for Bobby to begin with, but now considers him a “tough guy”.
He said: ‘On the last one that just aired we had a guy called Bobby Norris and I didn’t know who Bobby was.
It comes after Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win star Jason Fox revealed that Bobby unexpectedly won him over during his time on the show.
The former Royal Marine and SBS said The Only Way Is Essex star Bobby (pictured) was “easily the standout person who made the biggest improvement on the show”.
‘He showed up and for the first 24 hours he was useless. He cried for about 24 hours and then I think he worked out quickly and also wanted to be there, wanted to push himself hard and test himself.
“He’s not the best person we’ve had at this, but he’s easily the most outstanding person who has made the most improvement.”
“I didn’t expect anything from him. I found out he was from TOWIE. Now I think he’s a tough guy, really tough.
“It was not a singular moment. It was over the course of a few days. “I was quite impressed with the change.”
