Charleen Murphy has discussed her “healing journey” following an alleged attack earlier this year.
In February, a man reportedly approached Charleen from behind and “punched her full force to the back of the head”.
The man appeared in Dublin District Court following the attack.
The court heard that Charleen’s head rebounded off a glass in front of her when she was punched, resulting in a two-inch laceration to the right side of her face.
Charleen opened up about how her life has been since the attack on Éadaoin Fitzmaurice’s podcast, Going Viral: The Social Media Podcast.
“I’m good. I’m still working through it. It’s very fresh still, although it feels like a long time ago. It’s been a healing journey,” she confessed.
“It’s a weird one, because it’s not something someone can tell you how to get through, because it’s not something that’s very common. But it’s a work in progress.
“My friends and family [have given] me so much strength. Even my followers are just so so nice. I couldn’t stop thanking them because they were so kind. They gave me so much strength.”
She also shared why she made the decision to post about the incident on social media.
“Knowing that people were watching me and they might have gone through something similar… [I just thought] if I come on and I show strength and have strength, that will inspire someone,” she told Éadaoin.
“It’s about coming on the days that you’re feeling vulnerable, because being vulnerable is a beautiful thing, and people really appreciate it. I find comfort coming on [my stories] if I’m upset, if I’m crying, and showing people that it’s ok to have a bad day.
“I think I find strength in other people, and myself, knowing that I’m a role model. But you also have days where you’re not strong. You don’t have to be strong all the time, you just have to cry some days.
“I went to therapy and was like, ‘I’m afraid that one day I’ll just explode and all the feelings will come out’, and she was like, ‘Just feel everything as it goes.’
“I’m much stronger than I thought I was. I’m a very emotional and vulnerable person, and I’ve always seen that as a weakness but now I think that’s my strength,” she continued.
“Just because you’re someone who maybe cries and feels vulnerable and is very open with your emotions, it doesn’t mean you’re not strong.
“Knowing that I’m stronger than I think is my biggest wakeup call. This year has changed me so much as a person and made me see things so differently. It’s been a bad year, but a good year for growing.”
