Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has opened up about her sadness at being trolled for receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Amy, 30, has spoken previously about her struggle with Crohn's, which has seen her hospitalised over 100 times.
The dancer has been vocal about her illness and last year took part in a BBC documentary highlighting the disease, which causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.
Yet, after posting on Instagram about receiving the coronavirus vaccine as she was on the vulnerable list, Amy revealed that she was hit with a wave of abuse suggesting that she shouldn't have had it.
Speaking on Morning Live, she told presenter Gethin Jones: "I guess if you are going to out a post like that out you are going to get some political views. I was sad because I was trying to put out a positive post that hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.
"I don’t want to be in the vulnerable category, I didn’t choose to have Crohn’s and I would do anything not to and I wanted to hopefully show positivity that more of us are getting vaccinated the more of us that hopefully that soon things can slowly get back to normal.
"Unfortunately, you know, I can’t please everybody."
Also appearing on the BBC show was Dr Rupy Aujla, who reiterated that it was out of her control and that because she received it simply because she was on the vulnerable list.
He said: "Totally, yeah. You should deserve to have the vaccine if you are on the vulnerable list.
"I mean you deal with inflammatory bowel disease every single day and I don’t think people see that necessarily online, they just see someone who is younger and, you know … fit. .. and gets the vaccine before everyone else so I think there is nuance to something like that and it’s unfortunate you get those."
Amy previously said that she "lives in fear" of the disease taking away her dancing.
She first appeared on Strictly since 2017, when she was paired with comedian Brian Conley, and was a runner-up with partner Karim Zeroual in 2019.
"Strictly has been more than a dance show to me, it got me through the darkest times of my illness," she said. "For me it was a big inspiration to keep me dancing.
"Dancing has pulled me through my Crohn's but it's a battle. I live in fear that what I love the most could be taken away. And I've been more ill this year than I have been in a long time."
*Morning Live airs weekdays at 9.15am on BBC One
