Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has opened up about the Twitter abuse she has received after criticising alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
Riley, 32, thanked fans for their support after she was attacked online for sharing a video which condemned anti-Semitism in football.
“I’ve been doing this for 10 years,” she told ITV’s Lorraine Kelly.
“I’m hoping I have banked up enough credibility with people that know me for silly words and putting up pictures of cats and dogs to know this is a serious thing for me,” she said. “It needs a bit of light shone on it.”
“You mentioned the abuse but we’ve had so much support,” she continued.
“I can’t thank people enough for seeing through the lies. The attempts to discredit are elaborate.”
The presenter also revealed that she would not be attending this year’s National Television Awards, as she has decided to attend an anti-Semitism event instead.
“I could choose between the NTAs, a Manchester United event or going to government to speak at an anti-Semitism event in the run-up to Holocaust Memorial Day,” she explained.
Riley also appeared on a podcast with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy earlier today, where she shared her belief that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has given “a legitimate voice to Holocaust denial.”
Yesterday, the Countdown mathematician blasted George Galloway on Twitter, describing the former Labour MP as “anti-Semite scum” and telling him to “f*** off” after he attacked her views.
Stephen Fry and Riley’s Countdown colleague Nick Hewer have tweeted messages in solidarity with the presenter, confirming that they “stood” with her.
