In the past week, I’ve been asked by a host of publications and radio chat shows to respond to the negative and nasty reaction I received online with regards to last Friday’s column.

I decided to stay quiet throughout the whole thing to give myself a chance to clear my head and give the keyboard warriors some time to calm down and move on to their next target.

Modelling isn’t a 9-5 job and every day is different, so I really enjoy sitting down to write every week as it gives me a sense of routine and a chance to do something I’ve always loved.

I’m very grateful to have my own column and always try to have it in on time, filled with ground-breaking topics (like the January sales) and written in my trademark down-to-earth, light-hearted and self-deprecating voice.

However, last week I wasn’t quite as organised as usual – it was New Year’s Eve after all – and I had to do a quick interview over the phone before it went to print, just to add some details.

In the end I understand why people might have felt that parts of my column just didn’t sound like me. In general, I’m pretty open about my personal life but there are some aspects of it that I would rather keep to myself, which I hope people understand.

Anyone who knows me, or even just follows me on Instagram is surely aware that I don’t take myself too seriously and that I have no problem slagging myself off.

However, I found it extremely frustrating and embarrassing getting so much hate over a few words in the social part of my column.

I think people over-reacted and I can’t understand or relate to anyone who gets a thrill out of typing nasty words about someone else with the aim of upsetting them.

Luckily, I’m surrounded by good people who stood by me and helped me laugh it off. It was nice to receive supportive messages from friends who were making sure I wasn’t getting too upset or affected by any of the negativity.

Part of the reason I didn’t partake in any interviews or reply to any mean tweets about this is because I fully understand that you have to take the good with the bad in this industry and I tried my best to just take it on the chin, learn from it and move on.

I always try to turn any negative situation into a positive one and I guess this just showed me how many people are reading my column, which is great!

A very big ‘thank you’ to everyone who Tweeted me. I even made it on to some of my favourite satirical sites which featured what happened and gave me a laugh.

Being underestimated by people only gives me even more drive to work hard and succeed. At the end of the day, some people just need to lighten up.

But on a serious note – if you’re heading out for food this weekend, don’t forget that Tapas always works great for a crowd!

Herald