Scarlett Moffatt has told people to “be kind” to each other after receiving a letter from an anonymous viewer of her recent TV show who criticised her looks.
The former Gogglebox star shared a snippet of the handwritten letter on her Instagram page, which included a reference to her “atrocious” and “fat” appearance on Channel 4 show The British Tribe Next Door.
The letter also said her mouth “looks strange like a pork chop sliced in half” and included a criticism of the way she talks.
Moffatt wrote: “The fact someone’s sent me a letter as they feel so strongly about my weight is ridiculous. Turns out I’m not even safe from vile comments in the comfort of my own home.
“I WILL NOT let bullies like this get me down. I just wish they’d left me a reply address and I would have sent them some local charity details and clubs near them so they could occupy there time as they seem to have so much of it by helping others.
“Let’s just be kind to people as we don’t know what’s going on in their lives #bekind.”
Moffatt, 29, later posted videos of herself on Instagram Stories in which she was crying and telling her two million followers the note had upset her more than she initially let on.
She said that, “as funny as it is that someone went out of their way to send a letter, it has actually bothered us quite a bit because like, wow, you feel that strongly about how I look that you’ve sat down and written a letter”.
In another video, Moffatt said she had been “inundated with lovely messages” from fans.
She added: “I just need you all to be a little bit kinder because you don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives, so let’s make a little pledge to spread joy.
“And if you haven’t got anything nice to say, just don’t voice it.
“I think the world would be a lot easier if that was the case. Be kind, is my message today.”
Moffatt’s documentary The British Tribe Next Door showed the Moffatts, from County Durham, living in a replica of their house among Himba people in Namibia.