‘I won't let trolls win!'

Reality star Jake Quickenden on how trolling cast a shadow over his baby joy and what he’d do if he came face-to-face with a keyboard warrior

- GEMMA MCCARTNEY

Dancing On Ice winner and I’m A Celeb star Jake Quickenden was delighted to announce he’s expecting his first child with girlfriend Sophie Church earlier this month.

But the 32-year-old’s smile was soon turned upside down when thousands of good wishes were overshadowed by a troll who tweeted, “Hope ur gf loses the baby.”

Jake was, understandably, outraged by the comment and replied, “Never thought a tweet would make me feel sick, if only you knew how hurtful this is not only to us but so many other people!!! Please grow the F**k up quickly.”

The abuse struck a particular chord with the couple, who while announcing their pregnancy had also revealed they’d previously suffered a miscarriage. And it’s not the only tragedy Jake has received abuse over – his dad Paul died from a rare form of bone cancer in 2008, while his brother Oliver died four years later at 19 from a more common form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma.

When we catch up with Jake, he’s happy to support the one-year anniversary of our #TurnOffTrolls campaign to encourage people to be kinder online.

“There’s a difference between having an opinion and slaughtering someone for no reason,” he tells us. “If someone has an opinion on me and they’ve met me, then fair enough. But don’t say, ‘I hope your girlfriend loses her baby.’ There’s a fine line.”

Here, Jake reveals the impact trolling has on his mental health, the celeb support he’s received and his plans to protect his child from the toxicity of social media…

Hi Jake. Why are you supporting our #TurnOffTrolls campaign?