I was trolled on Tattle Life – I'm thrilled it has been exposed
' Gap-toothed Essex fishwife.'
'She must have made her money on OnlyFans.'
I reckon I'm the only person in the country walking around wearing T-shirts with phrases like these on them.
They represent just a fraction of the thousands of hurtful comments I've received in the last few years from trolling.
I've been abused online for so long that last year, I decided to take my power back and raise money for an anti-bullying charity by turning hate into merch.
But after the news that the founder of notorious gossip website Tattle Life has been unmasked and told to pay £300,000 in damages towards a couple defamed on the forum, I want to remind people that this is no laughing matter.
The founder of Tattle Life, where users comment on celebrities, social media personalities, and even ordinary members of the public, was finally named as Sebastian Bond, and I for one am thrilled that there is a face to the name.
It was March 2023 when I had my first grim experience with Bond's hateful website.
Friends and clients began messaging 'have you seen this Lisa? '
I'd just finished the launch of a business course and someone on a parenting forum had started a thread about me.
It only took a few pages of initially innocuous discussion before the thread picked up speed, hundreds of posts from people who didn't know me and have never worked with me delving into every part of my life.
It spread to other sites, including Tattle, although at the time I was more worried about the volume than what was being said on what site.
As the days went on, it felt relentless.
More posts, more discussions across multiple different platforms. All from people who knew nothing about me.
I was accused of running a pyramid scheme, of duping clients. Before long people criticised my hair, my teeth and my face.
Some even threatened to report me to HMRC.
Initially, I had only vaguely known of Tattle as 'just another gossip site'. But after I was targeted there and elsewhere, I saw the real impact. And it isn't good.
That's why I was so happy Tattle was finally exposed – not just because of what I went through, but because many other people I know have experienced the same.
People who defend Tattle and other gossip forums might argue that it is warranted, that it's about holding unscrupulous influencers and those selling fake 'get rich quick' schemes 'accountable' but I'm living proof innocent questions can turn into a witch hunt for absolutely nothing.
I'd done absolutely nothing wrong, yet still I was torn apart.
Whenever anyone stuck up for me, trolls would assume it was just me in disguise.
It was crazy that it was apparently okay for trolls to pick apart every element of my life, but for them to not even be able to show their first name? All while their founder made money each day from my bullying.
As the couple who sued the site said, 'for nearly a decade, the hate site Tattle Life has profited as a space where users could defame, harass, stalk and attack others online – all behind a veil of seeming anonymity.'
I couldn't agree more.
My experience was made worse by the fact that I was bullied throughout my childhood, and I felt like the cycle was repeating.
Because that's all the users on Tattle and other sites seem to be: bullies.
Just take a look at the over 22million messages that have been posted on the site.
Even as I type, Tattle threads of big names like Mrs Hinch (there are 715 separate threads about her) and Harry and Meghan (514 threads) are updated by the minute. And you don't need to scroll too far to find the kind of abuse that has led to the founder of the site having to pay out a six-figure sum.
The irony of presenting a wholesome, positive persona online (Sebastian Bond is a wellness and vegan cooking influencer with over 135,000 followers) while operating a toxic abuse platform was not lost on me.
When things really ramped up, I started talking about it on my social media, and discovered so many of my friends and clients were trolled too.
I joined a group with other influencers who have been trying to find out how to stop Tattle for years and this is the first breakthrough we've seen since we started. More Trending
But while the unmasking of Bond is a victory, it's only just the start. While we know the name of the man profiting from this all, we're yet to know the names and faces of the accounts who spend their days bullying in the name of 'gossip.'
While there's much to celebrate in this news, depressingly there are still plenty of other places to troll people online.
Frankly I think we need to find a way to unmask trolls, especially when it comes to defamation. The Tattle case proves that we're getting closer to it, but my principle is that if you're willing to say these things about a stranger, you should be able to put your name to it.
Unless we start taking online abuse more seriously across the internet, the defeat of Tattle will all have been for nothing.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE: It's 20 years since Doctor Who's best finale – but not for reasons you think
MORE: Dad forced Mum out the house and she never came back
MORE: Thousands of people got a phone alert asking them if I was hot
Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Desperate Bonnie Blue is broken & destroying industry… only she can save herself, says ‘world's richest' OnlyFans star
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BONNIE Blue is a broken woman who is single handedly destroying the porn industry, OnlyFans mega star Sophie Rain has told The Sun. Influencer Sophie, 20 - who claims to rake in £3.2million a month on OnlyFans - has blasted her rival for "harming the image of the platform" through her controversial sex stunts. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Bonnie Blue has been described as a broken woman who is destroying the porn industry by a fellow OnlyFans mega star Credit: Instagram/@bonnie_blue_xox 9 Influencer Sophie, 20 - who claims to rake in £3.2million a month on OnlyFans - has blasted the controversial star Credit: Jam Press/SophieRain 9 Bonnie has already been banned from OnlyFans due to her outrageous sex stunts Credit: Instagram/@bonnie_blue_xox 9 It comes after The Sun revealed that Bonnie has been banned from OnlyFans and is set to lose her massive "£600,000 a month" pay. The content creator - who shot to fame by allegedly bedding 1,057 men in 24 hours - had her page pulled due to breach of terms after her "extreme challenges" were said to have "crossed a line". Bonnie - whose real name is Tia Billinger - has faced heavy criticism over her content which often targets who she calls "barely legal teens". One of those who is far from Bonnie's biggest fan is the self-proclaimed world's richest adult content creator Sophie. The pair became embroiled in a public feud on social media with US-based Sophie firing several barbs across the Atlantic. An X post saw her say: "I hope one day she [Bonnie] realises the trauma she's causing herself and so many women." A second remark from Sophie saw her fire a direct shot at Bonnie as she shared a screenshot which appears to her raking in over $76 million (£56 million) through OnlyFans subscriptions. It was shared alongside the caption: "76M without banging 1000 men in a day." Sophie has now opened up on the personal argument and told The Sun exactly why the 25-year-old from Derbyshire needs to be stopped. She said: "What people need to understand is sex workers and OnlyFans models come in many different fonts. Bonnie Blue CANCELS disgusting 'petting zoo' event after extreme backlash, but reveals 10 THOUSAND men applied "The issue is, the public sees us all the same. "They group us all into one single category, and when someone as big as her is promoting these gross acts, it leads many to believe someone like me is doing similar content to what she does." A passionate Sophie continued: "I am all for someone expressing themselves on OnlyFans how they want, but it gets to a point where it's harming the image of the platform as a whole and the girls who are within it." In a statement to The Blast, Sophie also hit out at Bonnie for the way her stunts harm women in the industry. She told them: "It's no longer women empowerment. It's shock value, and she's making a joke out of all of us." Bonnie has claimed to earn £600,000 a month on OnlyFans in the past - meaning across a year she could make over £7.2million per year. She has hit headlines with a number of sick stunts across the past few years. One saw her ask college boys to sign up to an event to see who could give her the best orgasm - with a pledge to pay for the tuition of the "winner". 9 Bonnie has always maintained what she is doing isn't harming anyone as long as it is consensual Credit: Lorna Roach 9 Sophie is among the world's richest OnlyFans stars Credit: Jam Press/@sophieraiin 9 Sophie, who doesn't post x-rated content online, even threw a dig at Bonnie after their public feud erupted Credit: X/sophieraiin Bonnie was also slammed for "promoting rape culture" and labelled "vile" for announcing what she called "Bonnie Blue's petting zoo". This stunt was seen as the final straw for OnlyFans as they axed Bonnie from using the platform shortly after it was revealed before the event ever took place. Despite taking aim at Bonnie's sick antics, Sophie was quick to say she doesn't want to be the reason why she was banned. She insisted she actually wants to "give her a hug" and believes the controversial creator deserves to have a "chance to redeem her herself". Sophie added: "She seems like a broken person. "I think deep down she realises that this path she's going down is wrong, and I hope she saves herself. "I want to give her a hug. I think she's being misguided to do things she simply is only doing for money." Bonnie has also been shunned by others in the adult entertainment industry. 90s porn star Jasmin St. Claire, who broke the original world sex record almost three decades ago, branded Bonnie's act as "fake". And fellow blonde bombshell Lilly Phillips has also blasted her in the past. The pair used to be friends but the bond was quickly shattered after Bonnie suggested Lily had ''stolen'' her idea to beat the world record and bonk 1,000 in one day. Who is Bonnie Blue? BORN in May 1999, Bonnie grew up in a small Derbyshire village, and attended the Friesland School in the village of Sandiacre. She has two half-siblings - a sister and a brother - who have always remained out of the public eye. She never knew her biological father, and considers stepfather Nicholas Elliott her dad. Bonnie also became something of a dance star in her local area, and competed in the British Street Dance Championships alongside her sister back in 2015. She once even had a part-time job at Poundstretcher as a teenager. After finishing school, she began working in recruitment. In October 2022, Bonnie married Oliver Davidson, who she had started dating when she was just 15. Once they were married, they moved to Australia, where Bonnie continued working in recruitment. However, it was in Australia that she decided to pursue a different line of work, and tried her luck as a 'cam girl' - crediting Oliver for giving her the confidence to enter the adult entertainment world. She quickly made a name for herself in the industry, and was soon making £5,000 a week. But while her work life was going from strength to strength, her relationship was crumbling, and she and Oliver split after almost a decade together. She moved over to OnlyFans following her cam girl success, and once again found fame on there. She quickly became a favourite on the site, especially thanks to her "niche" of sleeping with young male students - such as when she bedded 158 students during Nottingham Trent University's freshers week in September 2024. Bonnie is now estimated to be worth millions, and makes around £600,000 a month on OnlyFans. Her family are also supportive of her work, with mum Sarah Billinger even claiming she's her daughter's PA, and helps clean up after Bonnie's events - as well as handing out condoms to young clients. In January 2025, Bonnie claimed to have broken the world record for the most amount of sex in 12 hours, after apparently sleeping with 1,057 men from 1pm to 1am at a secret London event. 9 Bonnie made headlines when she appeared on This Morning and revealed student targeted stunts Credit: ITV
The Sun
16 hours ago
- The Sun
Desperate Bonnie Blue is broken & destroying industry… only she can save herself, says ‘world's richest' OnlyFans star
BONNIE Blue is a broken woman who is single handedly destroying the porn industry, OnlyFans mega star Sophie Rain has told The Sun. Influencer Sophie, 20 - who claims to rake in £3.2million a month on OnlyFans - has blasted her rival for "harming the image of the platform" through her controversial sex stunts. 9 9 9 9 It comes after The Sun revealed that Bonnie has been banned from OnlyFans and is set to lose her massive "£600,000 a month" pay. The content creator - who shot to fame by allegedly bedding 1,057 men in 24 hours - had her page pulled due to breach of terms after her "extreme challenges" were said to have "crossed a line". Bonnie - whose real name is Tia Billinger - has faced heavy criticism over her content which often targets who she calls "barely legal teens". One of those who is far from Bonnie's biggest fan is the self-proclaimed world's richest adult content creator Sophie. The pair became embroiled in a public feud on social media with US-based Sophie firing several barbs across the Atlantic. An X post saw her say: "I hope one day she [Bonnie] realises the trauma she's causing herself and so many women." A second remark from Sophie saw her fire a direct shot at Bonnie as she shared a screenshot which appears to her raking in over $76 million (£56 million) through OnlyFans subscriptions. It was shared alongside the caption: "76M without banging 1000 men in a day." Sophie has now opened up on the personal argument and told The Sun exactly why the 25-year-old from Derbyshire needs to be stopped. She said: "What people need to understand is sex workers and OnlyFans models come in many different fonts. "The issue is, the public sees us all the same. "They group us all into one single category, and when someone as big as her is promoting these gross acts, it leads many to believe someone like me is doing similar content to what she does." A passionate Sophie continued: "I am all for someone expressing themselves on OnlyFans how they want, but it gets to a point where it's harming the image of the platform as a whole and the girls who are within it." In a statement to The Blast, Sophie also hit out at Bonnie for the way her stunts harm women in the industry. She told them: "It's no longer women empowerment. It's shock value, and she's making a joke out of all of us." Bonnie has claimed to earn £600,000 a month on OnlyFans in the past - meaning across a year she could make over £7.2million per year. She has hit headlines with a number of sick stunts across the past few years. One saw her ask college boys to sign up to an event to see who could give her the best orgasm - with a pledge to pay for the tuition of the "winner". 9 9 9 Bonnie was also slammed for "promoting rape culture" and labelled "vile" for announcing what she called " Bonnie Blue 's petting zoo". This stunt was seen as the final straw for OnlyFans as they axed Bonnie from using the platform shortly after it was revealed before the event ever took place. Despite taking aim at Bonnie's sick antics, Sophie was quick to say she doesn't want to be the reason why she was banned. She insisted she actually wants to "give her a hug" and believes the controversial creator deserves to have a "chance to redeem her herself". Sophie added: "She seems like a broken person. "I think deep down she realises that this path she's going down is wrong, and I hope she saves herself. "I want to give her a hug. I think she's being misguided to do things she simply is only doing for money." Bonnie has also been shunned by others in the adult entertainment industry. And fellow blonde bombshell Lilly Phillips has also blasted her in the past. The pair used to be friends but the bond was quickly shattered after Bonnie suggested Lily had ''stolen'' her idea to beat the world record and bonk 1,000 in one day. Who is Bonnie Blue? BORN in May 1999, Bonnie grew up in a small Derbyshire village, and attended the Friesland School in the village of Sandiacre. She has two half-siblings - a sister and a brother - who have always remained out of the public eye. She never knew her biological father, and considers stepfather Nicholas Elliott her dad. Bonnie also became something of a dance star in her local area, and competed in the British Street Dance Championships alongside her sister back in 2015. She once even had a part-time job at Poundstretcher as a teenager. After finishing school, she began working in recruitment. In October 2022, Bonnie married Oliver Davidson, who she had started dating when she was just 15. Once they were married, they moved to Australia, where Bonnie continued working in recruitment. However, it was in Australia that she decided to pursue a different line of work, and tried her luck as a 'cam girl' - crediting Oliver for giving her the confidence to enter the adult entertainment world. She quickly made a name for herself in the industry, and was soon making £5,000 a week. But while her work life was going from strength to strength, her relationship was crumbling, and she and Oliver split after almost a decade together. She moved over to OnlyFans following her cam girl success, and once again found fame on there. She quickly became a favourite on the site, especially thanks to her "niche" of sleeping with young male students - such as when she bedded 158 students during Nottingham Trent University's freshers week in September 2024. Bonnie is now estimated to be worth millions, and makes around £600,000 a month on OnlyFans. Her family are also supportive of her work, with mum Sarah Billinger even claiming she's her daughter's PA, and helps clean up after Bonnie's events - as well as handing out condoms to young clients. In January 2025, Bonnie claimed to have broken the world record for the most amount of sex in 12 hours, after apparently sleeping with 1,057 men from 1pm to 1am at a secret London event. 9 9
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Tattle Life: Celebs say gossip forum ruined their lives. Now its owner has been unmasked
Celebrities and influencers have been shocked to learn a controversial gossip website accused of allowing stalking, harassment, doxing and "relentless trolling" towards them was being run by a 41-year-old vegan influencer called Sebastian Bond. While some public figures are used to dealing with online abuse and anonymous trolling, many, including glamour model Katie Price, say Tattle Life goes too far and is "the absolute worst platform for trolling".Set up in 2017, Tattle Life describes itself as a "commentary website on public business social media accounts" and its founder has operated anonymously - until recently. Following a landmark defamation and harassment case in Northern Ireland, the elusive founder of the website was revealed. "People shouldn't be able to hide behind a keyboard," Price tells the BBC, glad that its founder has been estimated Tattle Life could be earning up to £180,000 a year in revenue from Google Ads, according to The Centre for Countering Digital Hate. After the BBC contacted Google the platform confirmed it had restricted adverts appearing on the gossip 47-year-old Price, has hundreds of threads and anonymous comments about her looks, relationships and family, particularly her son Harvey who has multiple disabilities. Speaking to the BBC, Price says she has had many private documents posted onto the site - called doxing - including some of her confidential mail."It's absolutely horrendous, the stuff that's posted about me on the website," she says. "The abuse is unmanageable, especially when they involve my family." Price has done a number of stints at a mental health hospital as a result of the trolling on Tattle Life and says the "constant and disgusting abuse on the website" contributed to her decision to try to take her own life. In an email to the BBC's The State of Us podcast, which covered the story on 17 June, Tattle Life defended its business model, stating that influencers who monetise their personal lives should be open to scrutiny as it's a totally unregulated industry. But not everyone sees it that Clarkson's daughter Emily has recently spoken about how users on the website announced her pregnancy before she had, and says horrible comments about how she looked on her wedding day were part of the reason she went to therapy. Influencer Carly Rowena also found herself being trolled on the platform after her young son was taken to hospital. "People were saying it was all my fault," she says, with many comments accusing her of profiteering from her son's illness by continuing to post content on social media. For the past six years, Rowena adds, a thread has existed on the website that shares details of where she lives as well as her parents' names and address. 'This is not normal trolling' Caroline Hirons, a beauty expert with a large social media following, tells the BBC that it's a "lie that this is in the public interest"."I'm a skincare expert, you don't need to be posting pictures of my grandchildren," she says. Hirons has had private documents shared on Tattle Life as well as pictures of her children and grandchildren, some of which are still on the website."This is not normal trolling - the website has become a place that makes it seem like it's OK to stalk and harass people constantly."Lydia Millen, who has more than 1.6m followers on Instagram, also believes anonymity shouldn't be an option when utilising forums, comment sections or social media. "Whilst you are entitled to your opinion, you aren't entitled to anonymity which places you above the law," she argues. Millen, one of the most talked about people on the gossip website, says she has dealt with "relentless trolling" every day for the past five years, and often fears for her family's safety. Influencer Jen Graham agrees, suggesting people should have to verify their identity by uploading a document such as a driving licence or taking a picture of themselves."That way it's traceable and someone can't hide behind a secret identity," she says, "and if they're cruel then they're punished."Graham says that discovering a thread about herself on Tattle Life "massively sent me under". "It wiped me out for a month and affected how I made my content as I was really anxious about posting." Katie Price has long campaigned to make online abuse a specific criminal offence and make social media users provide verified identification when opening new accounts. "You should be able to trace these people as I imagine most people wouldn't say this stuff if they used an account under their real name."Price says she has tried to take legal action against Tattle Life and reported some comments to the police, but the force have been unable to find who is behind the posts because they're anonymous. Tattle Life claims to have a "zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful, harmful and a team of moderators online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks our strict rules - often in minutes". Laura Rodrigo from Tattle Life told the BBC recent events have "highlighted the need to make some changes going forward".She said Tattle Life would improve its reporting system by giving people a ticket number and reiterated that there is a contact form on every page where anyone can report a to SimilarWeb, an internet analytics company, Tattle Life has been visited more than 11.5m times in the past month, mostly by British users. 'Years of abuse and stalking' It was a defamation and harassment lawsuit brought by Neil and Donna Sands that eventually outed Sebastian Bond, who also goes by the name of Bastian entrepreneurs took action against Tattle Life after suffering years of abuse, trolling and in-person nearly a decade no-one knew who ran the website, with its operator going under the fake name Helen and Donna Sands were awarded £300,000 in damages and say they have received more than 1,000 messages from other celebrities and influencers who faced abuse on the email to the BBC claiming to be from Sebastian Bond's lawyers says he was "entirely unaware of the proceedings" brought before him and "is at a complete loss to understand how proceedings have been pursued" without his knowledge. "Mr and Mrs Sands have only obtained 'judgment in default' because my client wasn't aware of the proceedings, didn't have an opportunity to consider a defence and the proceedings went ahead in private," the email added. Mr Sands says he will continue to pursue legal action against the Tattle Life community, adding: "The usernames of everyone who has attacked us on the website are listed in the court order so we will take action against all of them". The couple first reported abusive content on Tattle Life in February 2021, but Mr Sands told BBC News and BBC Radio 5 Live's Nicky Campbell there are still comments of a stalking nature on the website and various threads about him keep being taken down and uploaded again. The BBC contacted Tattle Life for comment on this specific allegation but did not receive a response. 'Monetising cruelty' The Centre for Countering Digital Hate says the website has been "monetising cruelty" for years through Google ads.A spokesperson for Google said: "We don't allow sites to engage in disruptive ad serving practices. After reviewing the site in question, we have restricted ads in accordance with our publisher policies."It added that that when it restricts ads a site will have little to no buyer on platforms to tackle illegal content and activity under the Online Safety Act came into force in March, and Ofcom says it is currently assessing platforms' compliance with these new duties. It has launched investigations into 13 different platforms of which Tattle Life is not one, but the regulator expects "to make further enforcement announcements in the coming months". It added: "those who fail to introduce appropriate measures to protect UK users from illegal content should expect to face enforcement action."
