Bobby Norris has opened up emotionally about the horrific online abuse and death threats he faced after starring in The Only Way Is Essex.

The 38-year-old television star rose to fame when she joined the cast of the ITVBe reality show in 2012 and remained on the show for nine years before leaving for good in 2021.

But while there were positives to being a part of the show, Bobby expressed that he went through some really dark times, with trolls targeting him for his sexuality as social media evolved.

talk to him FÜBAR Radio Bobby, who co-stars in Ellen Coughlan’s Halloween political special Politics Uncensored, has detailed the disgusting messages he received after filming the TV show.

She shared: ‘I love social media but I’ve been through this and it’s actually a thing, I’m not sure if a lot of people know but I think I was on a big upswing in 2019. I was on a reality show at the time and was receiving a lot of harassment on social media, mainly due to my sexuality.

Bobby Norris has opened up emotionally about the horrific online abuse and death threats he faced after starring in The Only Way Is Essex

The 38-year-old television star rose to fame in 2012 when she joined the cast of the ITVBe reality show and stayed on the soap for nine years before leaving for good in 2021 (pictured in the series in 2012)

‘There was this, I think there was another death threat. And it sounds so arrogant when I say it, but literally another person was in front of my house and was going to tear gas bomb me.’

Continuing to talk about her ordeal, she added: ‘It was a difficult time. I have thick skin. That’s why I never lost sleep. And I was very aware. I thought I could handle this.

‘But I know 13 or 14-year-old Bobby couldn’t handle it. They weren’t just saying, Bob, I don’t like your hair. I didn’t like your blow dry today or your Louis Vuitton bag. No, we’re talking about really dark stuff.’

As a result of the homophobic abuse he received online, Bobby campaigned for changes to the legislation to make online homophobia a specific offence; because the then current law was passed before the internet ‘as we know it today’.

Detailing his campaign efforts, Bobby explained: ‘I created a petition in my bedroom. I think this was 2019, so I campaigned for, I think, four or five years.

‘Yes, yes, it’s been in the law for a year now to put an aim or have some kind of legislation around how people can talk online.’

Regarding the outcome of his campaign, he continued: ‘I went to Downing Street. I went to Parliament several times for debates and thankfully, after four or five years of campaigning, it became law and became the Online Safety Bill.

‘This isn’t about the snowflake generation saying they don’t like something about you. It is not based on opinion. ‘We’re talking about threats of violence, threats of violence, discrimination, dark things.’

But while there were positives to being a part of the show, Bobby expressed that he went through some really dark times, with trolls targeting him for his sexuality as social media evolved.

Speaking to FUBAR Radio star Ellen Coughlan about her Halloween political special Politics Uncensored, Bobby detailed the disgusting messages he received after filming the TV show (filmed in TOWIE with Ferne McCann, Billie Faiers and Gemma Collins)

It comes after Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win star Jason Fox revealed Bobby unexpectedly gained his support during his stint on the show.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the TV tough guy revealed the celebrity managed to do the unthinkable and completely change his perspective, going from looking ‘useless’ to Jason being ‘pretty impressed’.

Looking back at the most recent season of the show, the former Royal Marine and SBS (48) revealed Bobby won it and was “the standout person who made the biggest improvement on the show”.

While Bobby was forced to leave the show after a brutal challenge went in the wrong direction, Jason named him as the contestant who left a lasting impression.

The reality star was axed from the Channel 4 show after suffering an injury during a wrestling match.

During an SAS training event to raise awareness for the Armed Forces charity SSAFA, Jason revealed that he initially didn’t have high hopes for Bobby but now sees him as a ‘tough guy’.

He said: ‘The last program that aired there was a guy called Bobby Norris and I didn’t know who Bobby was.

It comes after Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win star Jason Fox revealed Bobby unexpectedly gained his support during his stint on the show.

Former Royal Marine and SBS The Only Way Is Essex star said Bobby (pictured) was ‘the standout person who brought the biggest improvement on the show’

‘It arrived and was useless for the first 24 hours. She cried for about 24 hours and then I think she worked quickly and also wanted to be there, really wanted to push herself and test herself.

‘He’s not the best we’ve got at this, but he’s the standout guy who’s made the biggest improvement.

‘I didn’t expect anything from him. I found out he was from TOWIE. Now that I think about it, he’s a really tough, tough guy.

‘It wasn’t just one moment. It was just a few days process. ‘I’m pretty impressed with the response.’