Speaking on Doireann Garrihy’s podcast, Doireann and Friends, the Six O’Clock Show host opened up about the time she received a nasty message on Instagram from a female follower who body-shamed her.
The message in question read: “God help the poor professional dance you’ve been partnered with as not a chance he could possibly lift you above ground level with the size of your thighs and body. Poor guy pulled the last straw.”
Recounting the story, Katja said: “Right now I am laughing at it, but that is my coping mechanism; I laugh when I feel uncomfortable…”
the Stars
Pic: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix
However, the more comments she saw at the time, the more it began to bother her.
“I think for a while it wasn’t getting to me, and then the more comments I saw, and because I was working so hard and I probably was a little bit overworked, it all started getting to me, and I got emotional about it,” she explained.
Previously speaking to the RTÉ Guide, Katja admitted: “I think when you’re doing well in your life, there’s always going to be people that want to bring you down.”
“They’re not happy. They might not know your story so they just want to look for any way to bring you down because they think you’re up on a high horse, but of course, you’re not.”
Despite the horrible comments, Katja credits the Dancing with the Stars team for getting her through.
“That’s the thing with a show like Dancing With The Stars; like you’ve got that protection there, and if they see that anything negative is happening to you or you’re experiencing something awful online, they will always check in and that’s what they did,” she added.
Katja then went on to thank her female supporters and judge Loraine Barry in particular for defending her live on air.
“Loraine came on after my performance and gave just such an iconic speech. She was like, ‘You don’t have the credentials that I do!’”
That’s right girls, you show them!
