After The Bachelor’s Abbie Chatfield copped an intense amount of hate online, Lisa Wilkinson rushed to her defence over the weekend, slamming online trolls who claimed the controversial reality TV star deserves the hate directed towards her because she “knew what social media was like before even going on the show”.
Under a photo posted to her Instagram page with Matt Agnew and this year’s winner Chelsie McLeod, The Project host replied to a nasty user, saying, “Whatever you think of these shows, no-one deserves the next-level nastiness, the threats of violence, the vicious pile-on, and the mean girls mentality that has gone on around her— both on and off the show— just because she decided to run her own race.”
The mum-of-three continued: “She found him— and he clearly found her— sexually attractive. That was caught on camera but judging her, and not him, for taking part in that…is an attitude that belongs to the 1950s. Abbie is, clearly, heartbroken, and not the tough cookie she tried to portray in that final episode, so let’s all be mindful of that, at the very least.
WATCH: Abbie breaks down after Kyle Sandilands reveals intimate and unnecessary details about Chelsie and Matt’s sex life
The runner up revealed through tears last week that she’s been struggling to cope with the abhorrent comments and Instagram DM’s she’s been receiving from nasty viewers who have taken exception to her “controversial” actions on the Bachelor.
“I’ve been getting a lot of horrible DMs,” she told the hosts. “I’ve got a few threats of violence, saying—’Your mother shouldn’t have had you’— those sort of things just hundreds of times a day.”
Last Friday night, the property analyst— who recently admitted she’s been crying for four months straight since being dumped during the season finale— broke down on The Project after Channel 10 forced her into an uncomfortable confrontation with Matt and Chelsie. The network had planned for Abbie’s interview to be filmed mere metres away from where the couple was sitting.
With one clear glass window separating Abbie from her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend, the 23-year-old went into a state of panic when she looked over her shoulder and saw the loved up couple holding hands while being interviewed by Nova 9.69’s Fitzy and Wippa.
“I don’t want to weird you out right now but they are in that studio over there,” Smallzy told Abbie before she awkwardly responded, “that’s alright.”
However, it was clear by the look in her eyes she was far from ok. Unable to look away, the runner up finally turned back to the camera and said, “holy f**k. That is the most horrible thing I have ever experienced in my life.”
Matt and Chelsie were also alerted that Abbie was in the studio, with the Bachelor revealing that he spotted Abbie from afar, however swiftly avoided an awkward run-in.
You can watch Abbie’s devastating reaction below.
After what was no doubt one of her toughest interviews to date, Abbie was reduced to tears once again when Kyle Sandilands decided it was an apt opportunity to tell her about the first time Matt and Chelsie had sex.
“Get over him,” Kyle told Abbie. “Because I asked those two this morning what the sex was like. They were on a couch in a hotel in South Africa making out and feeling each other, and then he lifted her up and took her to the bedroom, took all his clothes off and inserted himself… You need to move on as well.”
After a brief moment of silence, Abbie could be heard crying on the other end of the phone.
“She didn’t need to hear that,” Jackie O said to which Abbie replied, “Umm… sorry.”
“Good one, Kyle,” Jackie said awkwardly as the radio shock jock desperately tried to defend himself by saying: “It happened months ago!”
After Abbie hung up, Kyle appeared to feel horrible about the conversation, admitting: I didn’t mean to make her cry. I was trying to help her get over it… In hindsight, you’re right. I don’t like when girls cry.”
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