Irish blogger Claire Fullam quits Instagram following sinister threats

Claire Fullam, known to her thousands of followers as Claire Balding. Source: https://www.instagram.com/claire_balding/

Irish blogger, Claire Fullam has quit Instagram following threats to harm her and her family.

Claire Fullam, known to her thousands of followers as Claire Balding, took a two-week hiatus from her popular Instagram account before logging on this week to say a final goodbye to her 87.9K followers.

Claire was diagnosed with alopecia areata in 2016 aged 27. After she began to lose her hair rapidly, she took to the social media platform for some escapism.

In an emotional goodbye, she began: "When I felt like I couldn't turn to anyone else except for my phone all those years ago and, when I had no hair, and I felt ugly and I couldn't recognise myself, every week and every day I got stronger because you guys tuned in and kept me going, and that's the reason why I'm here, because of that. 

"The reason why I'm ending it is I've dealt with so much shit and abuse and b***** over the last four and a half years and 99.9% of the time I take it. I can handle a lot guys, more than most. 

I can handle when they call me fat, when they call me ugly, when they question my parenting skills, when they give out about my bad language when they call me rude...I'm ok with that actually. I shouldn't be."

She continued: "About two and a half weeks ago I received an unsolicited screenshot about a plan from a private Facebook group about trying to physically harm me."

"I'm not crying because of the trolling, I'm crying because I'm being forced to leave something I love."

Claire added: 

This smaller Facebook group had pictures of my house and I could see my kids trampoline in the background and it just scared me.

"It's just a real shame because I know there are a few hundred people out there that hate me but watch me every day. I get all that actually, I get it.

"And there are some people out there that actually really despise me and again that's fine. And there are thousands of you out there that care about me and Farah and Elliot and Ian and some of you have been with us for four and a half years."

She went on to reminisce with fans about her time on the platform over the last few years, including her ‘Claire Balding' live shows.

The young mother said she plans to continue recording her podcast 'Clian talking', being active on her Patreon account, and building her new business Trua Hair but her Claire Balding account will be no more.

She went on to warn her followers against the dangers of these Facebook groups before signing off.

"Thank you all so much for the past four years... I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

"I met some of my best friends on Instagram and this vessel has been one of my best friends for the past four years in the most horrible time in my life.

"Thank you so much, I'm really, really going to miss you but I have to go. I have to protect my family."