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Billie Eilish reveals online trolls left her suicidal

Danny Thompson
·Contributor
·2 min read
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Billie Eilish, winner of the Best International Female Solo Artist award, poses in the winners room at The BRIT Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on February 18, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Billie Eilish, winner of the Best International Female Solo Artist award, poses in the winners room at The BRIT Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on February 18, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Pop sensation Billie Eilish has revealed online bullying left her feeling suicidal.

The 18-year-old told how she “almost killed” herself in Germany while on tour in 2018 after reading cruel posts about her on social media.

The Ocean Eyes star opened up about her suicidal thoughts during an interview with British GQ.

Read more: Billie Eilish says she was 'embarrassed' to win so many Grammys

When asked about the hate she had to put up with online, Eilish said: “Oh, God. It’s unbelievable. I almost killed myself because of Twitter a couple of years ago. Like, for real.

“I was thinking about the way I was going to die.”

The star went on to say she managed to “snap back to reality” thanks to her mother, her brother and musical collaborator Finneas O’Connell and her tour manager Brian, who she has worked with since the age of 14.

Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish attend the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills during the 92nd Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish attend the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills during the 92nd Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

She also spoke of the struggles of modern stardom and the perils of social media earlier this year.

Asked by the BBC in February if she read Instagram comments, Eilish said: “No, no I stopped like two days ago. Literally two days ago. I stopped reading comments fully. Because it was ruining my life. Once again.”

In the British GQ interview, the multiple Grammy-award-winning artist spoke about body image and discussed why she prefers to wear over-sized clothes.

“I have never felt desired. My past boyfriends never made me feel desired. None of them. And it’s a big thing in my life that I feel I have never been physically desired by somebody.

Read more: Billie Eilish says social media comments were ruining her life

“So I dress the way I dress as I don’t like to think of you guys – I mean anyone, everyone – judging it, or the size of it.”

Despite still being a teenager, Eilish has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame since uploading her first song to the internet back in 2015.

She has gone on to win five Grammy awards and become the youngest artist ever to record a James Bond theme with the track No Time To Die.