Cher Lloyd reveals her terror of cyber bullies
Cher Lloyd has revealed she's cried herself to sleep over internet bullies. The Swagger Jagger singer told BBC One's Panorama that online slurs have left her 'very scared' and she receives up to 10 tweets a day from people attacking her Romany gypsy heritage. The 18-year-old former X Factor finalist said: "There have been many times where I've cried myself to sleep. I'm very scared because I like to think that people think I'm strong, because if they don't they might not think I can do it. I am (strong) in some ways, but I think some days I just wish that people would leave me alone for a little bit or I wish for there to be a hole to suck me in." Cher confessed that she was initially flattered by the attention her X Factor appearances created online. She said: "My Facebook page exceeded the amount of friends you could have, it was exciting for me. I just kept clicking confirm, confirm, I couldn't believe how many people wanted to be my friend because growing up was a bit different for me. I wasn't able to have friends like that because I was very, very different." Cher has previously called for the government to do more about online bullying, saying not enough was being done on social networking sites to protect young people.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.