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Reality TV couple Cyrell Paule and Eden Dally say online bullying is worse now they’re expecting

''Now we get people saying 'You don't deserve that baby, that child deserves better parents', 'You should have a miscarriage'.''
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Reality TV couple Cyrell Paule and Eden Dally have lots of exciting pregnancy updates to share – but say their joy and excitement as expectant parents has been tainted by an increase in online bullying since their pregnancy announcement.

Cyrell, who starred in Married At First Sight Australia earlier this year, and Eden, who was runner-up on Love Island Australia with Erin Barnett in 2018, started dating in March and announced they were expecting in August.

While their pregnancy wasn’t planned the couple say it came as a happy surprise and since then they’ve delighted in their pregnancy journey.

They’re one of three couples within their families to be pregnant – Cyrell’s sister is due a week ahead of Cyrell, and Eden’s sister a week after “so there’s been a lot of texting”, Cyrell reveals.

She has started feeling her baby’s movements and says “it’s the best thing”.

“I definitely feel when he’s moving and rotating in there… I get so excited and can’t wait for Eden to experience it.”

She also reveals that she’s been craving sweet treats.

“I’m such a savoury person. I hate anything sweet and now every night I’m like ‘Honey can we please get cookies and cream ice cream?’

But along with the many delights that come with expecting a baby, the couple has also had to deal with an increase in online bullying.

They say some online trolls have even accused them of faking the pregnancy to enhance their profile.

“They’re saying we’re extending our 15 minutes of fame and now we get people writing saying ‘You don’t deserve that baby, that child deserves better parents’, ‘You should have a miscarriage’ and racial remarks like ‘You’re going to have a half black monkey baby,'” Cyrell says.

“It’s really hurtful and people don’t realise how much words get to you. Eden ended up having to take my phone and I’ve never had that in my life where as a grown woman I’ve had my phone taken away from me just because of that much trolling.”

Eden adds: “If someone’s saying things like ‘I hope you have a miscarriage,’ and wishing death on an unborn baby, I just can’t believe what the world’s come to.”

The couple had both endured online bullying prior to becoming pregnant.

“Sometimes you don’t know the actual extent of what people are going to say to you online,” Eden says. “I feel like even with production they need to take responsibility and warn the contestants what exactly they’re getting themselves into before they sign up.

“When we got out from Love Island we had three months support from a psychologist and I don’t know how three months is enough to get you through it.”

Cyrell adds: “It’s like ‘In three months’ time all the problems will go away and the bullying and trolls are going to stop’ but really it doesn’t. A year down the track and it’s still going on.”

The couple has teamed up with Heart On My Sleeve, a social media movement and early intervention service provider that aims to destigmatise mental health.

“I don’t want to say more hurtful things and retaliate,” says Cyrell.

“You find that the people who say these hurtful things are usually the unhappiest people. My advice to those people is that you’re probably the person that really needs to have someone to talk to and maybe wear your heart on your sleeve, open up to what is hurting you so much that you feel the need to hurt others as well.”

Earlier this year, in June, the couple became involved in a confrontation at a café in New South Wales, in which Cyrell was subjected to a racist attack, which left her in tears.

Many of her MAFS cast mates spoke out in her support afterwards, being only too familiar with being abused by the general public themselves.

Controversial MAFS groom Daniel Webb revealed that he received death threats during the show and was targeted by social media trolls afterwards.

Nasser Sultan revealed that he received “a lot of hate mail afterwards, most racial or religious”.

Jessika Power invested thousands in plastic surgery, saying that being under the microscope on the show had an impact on her self-esteem.

Davina Rankin also revealed she received “a lot of hate” after appearing on the show.

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