Kellie Harrington has said she is planning to completely quit social media after coming across a "lot of negative stuff".
The Olympic gold medallist recently took the first step by deleting her Facebook account, and she will now also pull back from her other accounts, RSVP Live reports. Kellie who grew up on Portland Row in Dublin revealed her plans to get off social media ahead of her interview with Newstalk’s Off the Ball programme going viral.
In the clip, widely shared on social media, Kellie evaded a line of questioning on whether she had ‘strongly held views on immigration’ after she quote tweeted a story last October. “Slowly but surely I am starting to detox off the social media world. It is a lifestyle choice," Kellie told the Sunday World.
She explained: "There is a lot of negative stuff out there as well as positive stuff. But I’m coming across a lot of negative stuff. And I said I’m out of here, starting with Facebook."
In the lead up to the Olympic qualifiers, Kellie explained that she is able block things out so she can focus on boxing. She said: “I am quite selfish when it comes to sport.
"I just focus on myself and I don’t worry about anything else or anybody else. I just do what I have to do and that’s what I’m doing now. I am getting ready for the [European Olympic] qualifiers in June and if I let anything distract me it takes me off track.
"I need to be at my absolute best in June. I cannot let any outside noise interfere with my life," added Kellie.
Kellie won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but retaining her lightweight title in Paris in 2024 is not high on her agenda right now. She said: “I don’t look that far forward. I’m just looking to qualify.
"Paris is where I want to be but obviously to get there I need to qualify. I don’t overlook that because anybody can crawl out of the woodwork and anyone can have a very good day.
"There’s lot of people coming up behind me. "I am the one with the target on my back in the 60kg [category]," added Kellie.
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