Zara McDermott couldn't eat or sleep after she fell victim to revenge porn.
Zara McDermott
The former 'Love Island' star was bullied in school when a boy shared a naked photo of her around the school, which led to Zara being suspended and victim-blamed.
She told the BBC: "It was such a dark time, I’ve blocked out so much. A few days after the picture began circulating I was just so worn down. I think I remember not eating properly, I remember not sleeping properly, I remember just having this constant low mood that you could just never lift.
"I got to a place where I was suicidal. That’s how bad it was. Knowing that when [the images] came out, I was actually going to be bullied more – that was something I couldn’t bear. I’d say it does still affect me to this day."
Zara later suffered the same fate again when an ex-boyfriend shared an intimate photo on social media while she was in the 'Love Island' villa.
But now, the TV star star is campaigning to stop victim-blaming and to call for true justice for the victims of revenge porn.
She explained: "The problem is when people say, 'Why did she do that?' and turn their noses up. I read some comments online under an article about it, and they were like, 'I’m confused as to why she’s [campaigning for awareness on revenge porn], considering she poses in a bikini on Instagram'.
"They’ve absolutely missed the point. I was completely violated and my trust was broken, someone broke the law – it’s not against the law to put bikini pictures on Instagram."
The reality star hopes her new documentary, 'Zara McDermott: Revenge Porn', will help victims feel "empowered".
She said: "I want people to feel empowered from this documentary and know they’re not alone, so many other people have been through this.
"I want victims to have better support. I want people to be able to start speaking about this topic openly and there to be a lot less emphasis placed on the victim in terms of ownership and accountability."
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