‘I feared for my life’: Sports reporter’s epic rant backlash

An American sports journalist who became infamous for an abusive rant that went viral on social media, has revealed how the regretful scandal changed her life.

ESPN reporter Britt McHenry became the focus of global hatred after footage of her foul-mouthed confrontation with a towing company employee was broadcast around the world.

In the clip, the 30-year-old makes cruel insults about the employee’s intelligence, education, physical appearance and nature of employment.

Now, in an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, McHenry has described how the fallout from the sordid saga affected her mental wellbeing.

"Bloggers called me 'vile,' a 'bleach-blonde bubblehead,' and 'a sorry excuse for a human being."

"I would stay up late at night, torturing myself with Google searches, punishing myself for what I had done and reminding myself that this nightmare was real."

McHenry said her day started off like a dream after securing an exclusive interview with an ice hockey star during the 2015 NHL Playoffs.

But after learning that video of her classless encounter at the car impound lot had been posted online, the reporter’s life quickly turned into a nightmare.

"And with that, I would experience the highest of professional highs and the lowest of personal lows in just one hour."

The 30-year-old, who was subsequently suspended from her role for a week and given a security detail to and from work when she did return, says the level of abuse she received in the aftermath of the incident was overwhelming.

"An avalanche of posts and tweets followed. With each new post, I felt like my life was imploding all over again.

"Soon more than 30,000 new people had started following me on Twitter, tweeting threats and insults I can't repeat. I truly feared for my life."

McHenry admits that her biggest challenge may come during motherhood when she has to explain her deplorable actions all over again.

"The most difficult speech will be the one I have to give to my future children some day. Every parent wants their kids to be proud of them, and unfortunately, I'll have to use myself as an example of how not to behave, a hard truth I think about daily," she said.

The sports reporter is adamant that the horrible saga doesn’t accurately reflect who she is, but it has taught her an important life lesson.

"For me, the key has been to focus on the present and on how to make myself a better person every day.

"None of us should be judged solely by our worst mistakes. And, when you get the opportunity, you should work as hard as you can to prove that."