Lisa Wilkinson has hit back at trolls on social media who have been attacking The Bachelor runner-up Abbie Chatfield.
Under a photo posted on Lisa’s Instagram with Bachelor Matt Agnew and Chelsie McLeod from Friday night’s episode of The Project, a user left a comment suggesting Abbie deserved all the hate directed her way saying “knew what social media was like before even going on the show.”
WATCH: Abbie Chatfield opens up about ‘rough morning’ following The Bachelor finale
The TV host replied to the commenter saying:
“Whatever you think of these shows, no-one deserves the next-level nastiness, the threats of violence, the vicious pile-on, and the mean girls’ mentality that has gone on around her — both on and off the show — just because she decided to run her own race.
“She found him — and he clearly found her — sexually attractive. That was caught on camera.
“But judging her, and not him, for taking part in that…is an attitude that belongs to the 1950s. Abbie is, clearly, heartbroken, and not the tough cookie she tried to portray in that final episode, so let’s all be mindful of that, at the very least.”
When Abbie appeared on The Project last week, she confessed that she had been having a “really, really rough morning.”
“There have been a few instances that have been tough,” she confessed.
Earlier that day, the property analyst had a run-in with Matt and winner Chelsie at NOVA, where producers pointed out to Abbie that Matt and Chelsie were sitting in a booth directly behind her.
Host Hamish Macdonald asked Abbie how she felt about the incident, to which she replied, “I’ve always thought what would I say if I ran into Matt if I was in Melbourne…and then to have him sitting right behind me during an interview live on radio was really hard not to just burst into tears.
“But I think I held it together okay considering the shock.”
WATCH: Abbie breaks down after orchestrated run-in with Matt and Chelsie
Abbie also revealed that she had been shocked by the backlash she had received online after appearing on the Channel 10 show.
“I think there is a problem with confident women,” she said.
The next episode of The Project airs 6.30 pm on Monday on Channel 10.
