HE HIJACKED MY LIFE

Abby Furness’ world was turned upside down when a stranger began impersonating her online, sending explicit messages to colleagues and friends.

- BEN MACHELL

A new TV series shines a spotlight on how she and other women spent years living in terror as they were relentlessly targeted by one of Britain’s most prolific cyberstalkers 

SHE was one of those people who just seemed naturally suited to social media. With her big eyes, bright smile and upbeat personality, Abby Furness radiated an easy, unforced confidence.

A performing arts graduate from Brighton in the UK, she had plenty of strings to her bow – she could breathe fire, she could dance, she could sing, she modelled – and her Instagram account, especially, served as a showcase for these talents.

She worked hard and felt proud that, at just 20 years old, she was able to leverage her online pres­ ence into regular offers of work from promoters and events com­ panies.

In particular, she possessed what seemed a natural knack for networking and making connec­ tions online.

“I always used to say it was my ‘superpower’,” she says, describing her past self with a brief, tight smile. “Social media was where I got all my work. And I was working every weekend and most nights.”

Her online profile grew. In 2019, during a holiday in Ibiza with her boyfriend, she befriended a group of young women who possessed enough online clout to oper­ ate as “influencers”. To her delight, she was invited on a glamorous boat trip with them and was included in the group selfies – all swimsuits, sunsets and peace signs – which were then shared with the world. It was a heady, dreamlike experi­ ence: “I just felt bliss.”