Whitney Way Thore "cannot ignore" online abuse

She told E! News: "You can't ignore it. I never go read articles about myself. I'm just talking about what comes into my own Instagram comments. And I know there's far worse out there. I always say that I wish I didn't know the opinions and innermost thoughts of random people.

"It just makes me so sad and scared that people are like this, and this is becoming so normal. That's what scares me, saddens me, dejects me. I'm like, 'Why is this okay? Why is it so pervasive?' And that just makes you feel really pessimistic about life and the world."

Whitney then revealed that some of the hate has extended beyond the screen and that she has seen her car windows smashed with bricks and her parents' home has been broken into but admitted that she has never really got used to the "horrible" treatment that comes with being famous.

She added: "I've had bricks thrown through my car window. People have broken into my parents' house while they were home. People come to my house all the time.

She added: "I remember something in there about, like, my mother would be rolling over in her grave.

"I've been in the public eye for 10 years now. You think you get used to it. Pretty much nothing surprises me anymore, but it's still just as horrible as the first time you read it."