Bake Off star says online abuse was so bad it was as if she’d ‘murdered someone’

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Great British Bake Off runner-up Laura Adlington has said the online abuse she was subject to during the show was so extreme it was as if she had “murdered someone”. Gearing up for every Tuesday night – it was exciting and it was fun, and I don’t want to sound negative about Bake Off, because I really did love it, but dealing with being in the public eye, and Twitter in particular, was challenging, to say the least.” Speaking about the abuse, she said: “I just wanted to be like, ‘Jesus, it’s a show about cake, give me a break.’ I felt like I’d murdered someone at some points, the hate that I was receiving. That was really tough.” At the time of the online backlash, Adlington had tweeted: “It's OK to be sad your favourite person didn't go through, but please remember it's not my fault. GBBO is all about kindness and I haven't seen much of that on here.” Hermine also posted a message on social media asking fans not to send abuse to her former competitor.