ITV This Morning star details bullying ordeal after landing regular spot on show: 'Found it difficult'
Eva Speakman opened up about her cruel trolling
ITV
Eva Speakman has opened up about the difficulties she faced with social media users trolling her after she and husband Nik Speakman became regular faces on This Morning.
The married couple has made their name by successfully treating individuals with disorders that include addictions, fears, phobias and eating disorders, bringing their passion and work to TV screens.
Claustrophobia, heights, the sound of people eating, fear of Christmas, fear of spiders and many other unique fears are at the top of their list.
However, despite their success, Speakman has opened up about the cruel trolling she received from online users and told the My Dirty Laundry podcast this week: "We have really had our fair share of trolling and at first."
According to MailOnline, "I'm not going to lie... particularly when we first started working in television, I found it quite difficult. I was somebody who was bullied through my entire childhood, even up until I met Nik, actually.
"And so I'd gone from that and then Nik kind of came rescued me, helped me to build up my self-esteem again and self-belief. Then suddenly these strangers were saying really mean and horrible things.
Eva Speakman opened up about the trolling she endured when the couple became a regular guest on the show
ITV
"And so I did have to sit back a little bit and say, 'Does this really matter? Is this person's opinion really valid? What's my motive for being in the media?' It's to help people. 'Am I doing that?' Yes."
The 55-year-old admitted that with her husband's help, she found a way to stop the trolling from affecting her mental health and added: "We just very quickly got into the habit of just blocking. And that would be what I would say to anybody.
"Don't even take the bait. Just block and just move on because they're not really very relevant people. Anybody who feels that it's appropriate to be unkind to anyone, quite honestly, isn't worth any time at all. So just block immediately."
Despite the trolling, Speakman has moved on to a positive place in her life and career, going on to cure former This Morning host Holly Willoughby's fear of ghosts and heights.
The Speakmans have helped thousands overcome their fears and phobias
ITV
Discussing how they managed it, they explained: "Holly was having to fly out the following week to help present I'm A Celeb so we were able to help her out with that which was nice.
"Her fear came from presenting a kids' TV show. She had to go up in a plane and the pilot who was with her - it was just a two-seater - stalled the engine on purpose. And she just thought the plane was going down.
"And then he just said, 'We do this, it's a test that we do' and he restarted it, everything was OK. But in that moment and her not knowing, she just developed a fear of flying. And we worked with her for that."
The Speakmans said their treatment was so successful that Willoughby sent them a picture of herself giving a thumbs up from her flight the week after they treated her.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The Speakmans helped Holly Willoughby with her fear of heights and ghosts
ITV
The couple - who have been married for 22 years - and their two children Olivia and Hunter have released a new podcast called Handbook To Happiness.
Speaking about what to expect from the episodes, Speakman said: "The podcast is literally jam-packed with lots of helpful tips and information. It's a very candid and very open discussion about our own insecurities, our fears, the things that have happened in our lives, people that we've helped, how we've managed to help them."