- Nadia Bartel says the abuse she received at 21 was ‘disgusting’
- Says the bullying of WAGs is out of control and worse than ever
Nadia Bartel has opened up about the ‘disgusting’ online abuse she received when she first started dating her ex-husband, while defending footy WAGs who have been the target of similar attacks.
Bartel, who was married to Geelong Cats great Jimmy Bartel, has revealed the shocking abuse she received when she started dating him at age 21.
‘I remember with my early days when I was first dating my partner then, now my ex, I was 21, not in this industry at all,’ the model said in a video posted to social media.
‘I was working full time in my office job and the treatment that I got back then was just disgusting.
‘Threads and threads were written on online forums, everything about my appearance, the size of my nose and how I look like a man and just these comments, and they do stick with you.
‘Even if you’re someone who’s got a very thick skin. You can’t say getting comments like that doesn’t get to you.’
Nadia Bartel has spoken about the online abuse she received when she first started dating her ex-husband Jimmy Bartel
Bartel says trolls said she looked like a man and made fun of the size of her nose
The 39-year-old has been shocked at the abuse that other AFL WAGs have been targeted with in recent months.
Last week, Chloe Pink, the new wife of AFL star Toby Pink, detailed the disgraceful comments left on her wedding photos.
Footy WAGs Paris Tier and Tiffany Wood have also spoken about the horrible abuse they’ve received about the way they look, and Chloe Pink – the wife of North Melbourne star Toby – has lashed out at the trolls who levelled abuse at her over her wedding photos.
Bartel says that the abuse that these women are copping makes her feel ‘sick’.
‘This is something that has been going on forever and it literally makes me sick to see these negative comments,’ she said.
‘The people who are writing this negativity don’t realise the effects it can have on people. This isn’t just partners of professional sportspeople, this is just people in general who are speaking negatively about anyone that may be in the media or have a profile.
‘I just think it’s so so so damaging and particularly some of these partners of AFL players and different sportspeople, they are just regular every day mums or girls and they don’t exactly want to be thrown into the limelight.
‘And for people out there to be judging every single part of their body and appearance, it does really cause lifelong effects to that person.’
Bartel says that the online abuse that modern WAGs are receiving makes her feel ‘sick’
Bartel believes the bullying is currently out of control and says she wants people to pause before they decide to try and bring others down with nasty comments.
‘If you wouldn’t go up and say that to their face why do you think it’s OK to comment and tear them down on social media?’ she said.
‘In my early 20s, early 30s, I did get really affected. Now that I’m older, I don’t care, I know who I am and I know what I stand for and I don’t engage.
‘Yes it doesn’t get to me but for a lot of young girls they don’t know how to deal with that stuff and it can get very lonely when you’re getting so much hate and you start to believe what you’re reading.’
