Warning: This article contains language that may disturb and offend.
Married At First Sight NZ star Julia Malley has shared some of the "incredibly nasty" messages she's received on social media to illustrate how vicious online commentators can be.
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The 32-year-old had a fairytale wedding to David McClelland on the show, but quickly suffered severe backlash from the public as the relationship faltered.
The onslaught of direct messages to Julia's Instagram inbox left her "incredibly shocked".
"The effect it had on me - I just felt really, really, really anxious," she told Newshub.
"I've never had anxiety before, so, it's been awful."
Although Julia is no longer managing her Instagram account, having handed it over to a friend, she decided to revisit some of the comments that stuck with her the most.
"You deserve everything he said to you and more. You're a nasty, selfish f**king c**t,"one message read.
"How can they sit there and be okay with what they've said, knowing that they're really hurting someone else?" she asked.
Another of the abusive comments read: "So glad Dave booted this horrible, shallow woman."
"Dave is gorgeous inside and out! Don't know how she could keep banging on about looks and physical attractions when she is a solid two on a good day."
"It's incredibly nasty," Julia said of the message.
"It's attacking my physical looks and who I am as a person. Quite frankly, I'm not horrible or shallow."
Julia has been criticised for saying she wasn't attracted to her husband Dave, which she often chalked up to his "metrosexuality".
"I think it's frustrating for people to watch because they're like, 'you've got this really nice guy, he's amazing... what's wrong with you?'"
And while audiences saw Julia shed many tears during this season of MAFS NZ, it seems they've continued behind the scenes, too.
"I cried. I really, really broke down and cried," she said.
"My mum constantly worries about me - if I read this out to her, she would burst into tears."
The Cantabrian said she was aware her role on the show would garner opinions from the public, but the response has been more than she was prepared for.
"I can sit here and pretend to be strong about it, but I was actually really gutted," she said.
"My self-esteem has taken a bit of a hit from it, absolutely. I'm trying to rise above it."
In the lead-up to the show's finale on Sunday night, Julia said she feels "incredibly sick" and is expecting even more abuse.
A spokesperson for MediaWorks, which also owns Newshub, said in a statement that all the participants had been briefed on the show's "huge social following" prior to filming.
"While fan engagement and interaction online is mostly positive, the down side is that, at times, the line is crossed between what is feedback and opinion, and what is bullying," said the spokesperson.
"We closely moderate all our official Three and MAFS NZ social media platforms, and all comments which are deemed to be abusive, offensive or threatening are removed.
"Duty of care for all participants in the experiment is paramount, and they are all offered unlimited access to network and production executives and a professional therapist during the course of filming and while on air."
Julia is currently seeing a therapist provided by the show, and plans to watch the season finale with some of the other cast members for support.
Until then, she's heeding the words of another reality TV personality - Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins, who also received backlash for his final decision on The Bachelor Australia.
"I saw a quote from the Honey Badger: 'no regrets, just growth'," she said.
"So that's what I'm trying to do."
Married At First Sight NZ's final episode for 2018 airs on Sunday at 7pm, on Three. Previous episodes can be viewed on ThreeNow.
Newshub.
