Emily Atack constantly fears being 'raped and killed'
Actress-turned-TV presenter Emily Atack has revealed she suffers sleepless nights and lives in constant fear of being 'raped and killed' after suffering years of online abuse
Emily Atack lives in constant fear of being "raped and killed" after suffering years of online abuse.
The 33-year-old actress-turned-TV-presenter has filmed a new documentary for BBC Two called 'Emily Atack: Asking For It? 'in which she explores the murky world of sexual harassment on the internet which has plagued her for years - and she has revealed disturbing messages have given her plenty of sleepless nights.
In an interview with Radio Times magazine, she explained: "I'm terrified at times. The second I hear a bump in the night I go, 'Oh, that's it. I'm about to be raped and killed'. I'm scared of being physically alone a lot of the time."
Emily went on to reveal the harassment affects her mental health because she ends up blaming herself for the abuse.
She added: "You go, "Is it me? Is it what I wear, how I put myself out there? Is it because I talk about sex in my show, because I'm flirtatious, I'm single, I'm on my own?
"And before you know it, you're just splattered at the bottom of this staircase, blaming yourself. You're incredibly troubled and saddened and questioning who you are as a person."
Emily found the abuse escalated during the COVID-19 lockdowns and she began sharing the messages with her followers to show them what she was dealing with.
In her new documentary, Emily meets with experts, including a sexual violence and abuse councillor and online safety campaigners, as well as some of the men who send her sexually explicit content in a bid to find out their motivations.
The one-off special will air on BBC Two and iPlayer on Tuesday January 31 at 9pm.
