Dua Lipa says she almost quit music to walk away from her dreams after becoming the target of vicious online trolls.
The 26-year-old Kiss and Make Up singer has become one of the the UK’s biggest performers since she burst onto the music scene back in 2015.
But the number one album and singles may never have happened if she had given in to her initial fears as she was bullied by online trolls.
Dua has explained that the abuse she suffered got so bad that she almost quit the music world completely – but now feels confident no matter what trolls tell her.
She told The Sun: “There were moments of self-doubt, even though it was kind of unfair because a lot of the people that had sent those messages or were saying things online actually hadn’t been to one of my shows.
“Social media is kind of run on this toxic currency of who can make people laugh at the expense of others.”
She added: “Now, if anybody says anything, it doesn’t even bother me.”
Dua previously discussed how she turned to Russell Brand for support and advice when she found herself struggling to deal with trolls.
She said on the At Your Service podcast last month: “I was interested in starting therapy and he came through with a recommendation. I was going through an intense period.”
The star also explained how she has changed over the past year – which saw her end her romance with Anwar Hadid.
She explained: “Life is a process. I thought I had it figured out, then things start slipping away.
“It’s been a massive year for growth. I’ve started to understand myself in a different way. I have confidence I didn’t have before. I’m not the same person I was.”
She went on to explain that social media trolls affected her “deeply” and admitted: “I stopped thinking of myself as myself.”
Earlier this month, Dua also explained how she had turned her lifestyle around ahead of kicking off her current world tour.
She said: "I had laryngitis in December and that kind of kickstarted me quitting smoking a month earlier than I was supposed to. But I did it and I have stuck to it.
"I have this habit tracker on my phone where every night I tick off all the good things I have done for my body and things I have done for myself."
Nonetheless, Dua has now said that she feels "invincible" onstage after changing some of her health and fitness practices to keep in shape for the demanding tour.
These have included splashing out on a personal yoga instructor to accompany her whilst goes on the tour.
During the latest episode of her At Your Service podcast, she said: "I feel like when I get up on stage there is a different kind of confidence and, you know, I feel very invincible at times when I am performing."
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