I was shocked by the hatred I received for refusing to let my daughter be taught by a fat teacher, says HILARY FREEMAN

Last Thursday, I woke up and glanced at my phone, as I usually do. Having written a piece for this paper, which I knew to be on a controversial and sensitive issue — obesity — I was expecting a response, and I steeled myself for the usual mix of angry feedback and supportive messages.

That expectation was naive. Although it was only 8am, there were already hundreds of comments, many of them utterly vile and personal. There were also several requests for TV and radio interviews, which meant my article was ‘news’.

By the time I’d dropped off my daughter at nursery and walked home, at around 11.30am, there were more than 1,000 comments on the article, and not long after that, more than 2,000.

Soon people’s reactions started finding their way on to my social media, too, and into my personal email inbox. When America woke up, a few hours later, the response went global.

Today, almost a week on, the messages are still coming. As online media offers blogs and opinions on my original article, so people comment on those as well, and track me down to express their feelings, perpetuating the cycle. While I have had lots of support, much of the feedback has been extremely unpleasant.

I have variously been called a ‘fat shamer’, told I am a terrible mother, accused of being shallow, judgmental, nasty and dangerous. And those are the least offensive insults.