INFLUENCER Elle Darby has issued a second grovelling apology after a slew of her racist and fat-phobic former tweets resurfaced.
On Monday, the mum-of-one, 26, apologised to her 770,000 Instagram followers after the series of “shameful” old messages came to light, in which she insulted various minority groups and used racial slurs.
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In a new YouTube clip released today, she has re-iterated how “disgusting” she finds her “awful Tweets” and told how she would be taking a break from social media.
Wearing a grey jumper and her hair scraped back in a bun, family and lifestyle blogger Elle said: “I’ve tried to film this video so many times and every time is not good enough because there are no words to tell you how sorry I am.
“The tweets I made in 2009 were so disgusting, and so far from the person I am today, they were racist, fatphobic, homophobic – I am ashamed, I am disgusted at myself.
“There is not one person on the planet who hates me more than I do right now. The pain I have caused to so many of you eats me up.
“To know that I was someone who you considered a great friend and this image of me is now tainted. I don’t even recognise myself to have been [that person].
“I hope you can see this is not the person I am today. I know those disgusting words and awful tweets will always be associated with my name. Since I made those tweets I have had better education in these last ten years.
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“I have let down everybody there is no more humiliating feeling than that, I want to say once again I’m sorry.”
Announcing her social media break, she added: “I will be taking a little time offline to further reflect on what’s happened to process a situation I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for.”
I know those disgusting words and awful tweets will always be associated with my name.”
Elle Darby
VILE TWEET SHAME
This week Elle, who shares family vlogs and lifestyle videos on YouTube, was forced to address the spiteful and racist tweets she wrote when she was a teenager.
The mum-of-one caused backlash for offending different ethnic groups – including calling “foreign people” “meatheads” who “speak in grunts.”
The influencer, with more than 600,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, said that she was ashamed of her historic tweets and that she wanted to “take responsibility for my actions.”
In one resurfaced tweet from 2011, the influencer wrote: “I hope this Polish t*** driving my bus this morn who nearly kicked me off cus I didn’t have my pass crashes.”
Another from the same year read: “Why do foreign people follow me? I don’t speak your grunts, meatheads.”
And in a third, the British influencer wrote: “I just hate Polish people and Indians really.”
Elle was also caught saying: “I really miss my laptop. Wish that effin charger from HK (Hong Kong) would hurry up. Come on ch***s, you’re upsetting me.”
Another read: “This bus is sweaty and stinks of Indians.”
In other tweets, the influencer penned fatphobic and hurtful comments – including using the n-word and alluding to animal cruelty.
The spiteful words, which were written ten years ago, resurfaced during the Christmas holidays, and have caused outrage online.
Disgusted fans took to social media – and also pointed out that old accounts of her fiancé, Connor Swift, contained similar hateful and racist words.
The couple have since apologised for the tweets – which they said they were “beyond angry” at themselves about.
Taking to Instagram, the couple wrote: “Christmas and New Year are traditionally a time for reflection and as such we decided to take some time to look through both of our histories on social.
“We are ashamed to admit that we did not like what we found.
“The both of us were shocked, surprised and devastated by some of the language used in our very old tweets in particular over a decade ago.
“We feel that we all have a responsibility for our own mistakes and to try and take responsibility for our actions, especially the ones that don’t paint us in the best light.”
It continued: “These comments are not a reflection of who either of us are as grown adults, nor who we were at the time they were made, and do not align with what we stand for.
“We are beyond angry at ourselves and ashamed that our behaviour will have been hurtful to some of you who have supported our family for so long.
“We can only wish for your forgiveness.”
FAN SHOCK
Despite the apologies, fans were still disgusted with the historic tweets – saying Darby should have known better.
Others said that the sheer amount of horrid content was “shocking and disappointing.”
One angry follower said: “It’s not even like it’s one or two things she may have tweeted without thinking, there are literally HUNDREDS of shocking tweets and it’s so disappointing.”
Another person wrote: “For the age she was, she was old enough to not say such disgusting things. It’s not like it’s just one tweet either. That is not okay.”
And a third said, “I’m actually appalled,” while another wrote, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Elle’s management, Gleam Futures, has been contacted for comment.
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