A lifestyle influencer and self-styled “mummy blogger” has quit social media after being pummelled with abuse after making a disturbing admission.
Emma Claiir said she’d been subjected to a flood of death threats and harassment from “haters trying to ruin [her] life” after speaking openly about some worrying incidents from her past.
During a discussion on her ‘Simply Chaotic’ podcast back in April, Claiir told listeners that she had killed not one, but two cats when she was a child.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the mum-of-one said she’d been left suicidal and had gone into hiding because of the resulting outcry.
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In the clip, Claiir confessed to her co-host: “I killed my cat,” before stressing that she “didn’t mean to”.
“I was young, I was a child, and I was like swinging my cat around – I was just thinking it was like a stuffed toy and I accidentally let go of it and it died. It died from the fright.”
She continued: “My sister did not speak to me for months – months – and my mum was f***king fuming at me.”
She then added: “And then if you really want to know more about me, I also killed my best friend's cat.”
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The brutal online backlash came not just from appalled fans, but from a number of brands who declared they would be ending their relationship with the 29-year-old.
Claiir initially responded to the furore by doubling down, telling her followers via an Instagram story that it was all a “bit of light humour” and they needed to “chill”.
“I was a small child,” she pointed out, before adding: “After that accident, I have been the best mother to multiple cats.”
However, after the retribution and threats showed no sign of abating, she issued a more considered statement, apologising for her behaviour.
She conceded that the story was “not light humour” but was, in fact, “very serious”.
“I have taken time to think about my actions and want to confirm that I do have empathy about the situation,” she stressed.
“It’s not something I am proud of as it really hurt myself and my family 21 years ago.”
And yet, two months after that fateful podcast segment, Claiir revealed that her whole life had been turned upside down.
In her lengthy Instagram statement, posted on 26 June, she wrote: “As most of you know I gave birth on the 12.4.23 to the most amazing, precious little boy and he changed my life completely.
“I was so excited to share my life with you all, share where things were from and just be real with my postpartum journey and experiences with my baby.
“But unfortunately that all became not possible when I shared a story from when I was kid on my podcast. I quickly became cancelled and the death threats started rolling in.”
Claiir then insisted that the story had been blown “out of proportion” and “turned into something it never was”.
“People started a witch hunt on me and were doing everything to make sure my life was ruined,” she continued.
“I lost my job, my mental health was impacted massively and people were just having a laugh about it.”
She said she then decided to take a “small break” from social media to spend more time with her son but, once she returned, “people decided it was OK to spread cheating rumours, make up lies and try to continue to ruin the life of a new mother who was already pretty open about her mental health struggles in life”.
The 29-year-old said that even people she’d considered close friends “joined in on the lies and rumours”, even sharing her private messages online.
Describing this as “breaking point” for her, she said she “started to feel unsafe in [her] own home” as the death threats, lies and rumours grew louder and louder.
“My mental health finally crumbled. I entered a very dark space that was extremely scary and unfamiliar,” she went on.
“I was constantly telling myself that the only thing that would make this all go away is if I took my own life. The only way to make the haters happy is if I disappeared for good and officially left this world.
“Maybe my son and my husband really would be better off with out me and I should just let them go, maybe my friends and family would also be better off with out me so I should just let them go.
“These are thoughts no new mother should be having.”
Claiir wrapped up her impassioned monologue by saying she had since sought “professional help” for her anxiety and depression and was now on “the right path”.
She then said that it was now “officially time to say goodbye to Emma Claiir,” adding: “Will it be forever? I don’t know yet.”
But, she insisted, she felt proud that she was now “taking back ownership of her life”.
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