I was targeted by Netflix stalker who left me fearing for my life: Ex-model, ... trends now
A mother has told how she was targeted by Netflix's Can I Tell You A Secret? stalker - leaving her scared for her life.
Kristen Dugdale, 31, was a victim of Matthew Hardy - dubbed Britain's worst cyberstalker - who has been jailed for nine years.
The mother-of-one was first contacted in February 2019 by an anonymous Instagram account claiming they had an important message about her then-husband.
It began a two-year ordeal which saw Hardy accusing her of sleeping with her then-husband's father and using her images to sell adult content.
He even subjected her to a barrage of anonymous phone calls and insults - calling her 'disgusting' and telling her to 'stick to taking your clothes off'.
Kristen Dugdale, 31, (pictured) was targeted by Matthew Hardy - dubbed Britain's worst cyberstalker
Hardy enacted a tirade of stalking and harassment online that spanned over a decade
A fake profile Hardy made of Kristen to sell adult content
She became convinced it was someone she knew - and stopped trusting those close to her, and it drove a wedge between her and her now-ex.
Kristen contacted police but the abuse didn't stop until Hardy was arrested.
She was not involved in the court case against Hardy but police confirmed she was a victim of the prolific stalker.
Hardy, who created hundreds of fake social media accounts, is believed to have targeted 63 victims over 11 years, according to reports.
Speaking for the first time, the mother said she's still haunted by his daily messages.
'I was scared for my life at one point,' she said. I lost my confidence and my trust in people around me.
'Before I knew it was Hardy, this random person from a place I had never been to, I was questioning everyone around me.
'It affected my mental health, and it's not fair – it's had a lasting impact on me, and I lost friends.
'I ended up getting into a lot of arguments with my ex over it. It affected our relationship.'
Kristen, an ex-model, says she was first contacted by Hardy in early February 2019 - when he got in touch with her anonymously on Instagram to imply she had slept with her ex-husband's best friend.
Things quickly escalated and Kristen began receiving regular phone calls multiple times a day and abusive messages from numbers she didn't recognise.
Kristen, a former model, says she was first contacted by Hardy in early February 2019
Hardy added Kristen and her ex-husbands friend to an Instagram chat
She says sometimes he would call from withheld numbers and stay silent or breath into the end of the phone or send her texts saying he wouldn't leave her alone and reminding her that he knew her family, and calling her 'fat'.
Fake profiles pretending to be her started popping up on Instagram – with Kristen saying some accounts were even seeming to sell adult content using her images.
The fake accounts reached out to photographers she had worked with in the past and old school friends.
She says he contacted a photographer she had worked with and attempted to organise a photoshoot while sending suggestive messages.
She says the photographer even said Hardy had details of a conversation they'd
