Countdown star Rachel Riley has said she is to be given extra security on the programme after receiving abuse online over her comments about anti-Semitism.
The TV star and maths expert said she has been targeted by Labour supporters on Twitter for her criticisms of the party and leader Jeremy Corbyn amid the ongoing row.
Riley, who is Jewish, has already spoken about being trolled online, but said the problem has worsened and includes physical threats.
She told the Times newspaper: “The more I speak, the more abuse I get, and the more abuse I get, the more I speak.
“It’s got to the point where I can’t look at my Twitter feed any more … it’s just a constant stream.”
She added: “We are getting more security for Countdown.”
A spokesman for Countdown told the Press Association: “It’s not unusual to have security in a studio environment. There will be extra vigilance and increased presence.”
Riley, who has appeared on the Channel 4 daytime programme since 2009, said she believes she is a “target” for speaking up against anti-Semitism, and that she does not “take it lightly”.
She said: “With the hashtag Get The Tories Out or the red rose or hashtag JC4PM, they say to me ‘You’re only calling out the left’.
“Well, I’ve been attacked by people on the left and the best way to not have me talk about anti-Semitism on the left is not to be anti-Semitic.”
Riley has previously stated that she has no political allegiance, and is not a Conservative, although she claims she has been labelled a Tory by supporters of Mr Corbyn.
However, she told the newspaper that she would not vote for Labour now, as she believes the party is “actively encouraging the abuse of people who are standing up to this”.
Earlier this week, Riley recalled the “hideous” feeling of receiving hate-filled abuse for speaking out about anti-Semitism at the Holocaust Memorial Day reception at the House of Commons.
Mr Corbyn has strongly denied allegations of anti-Semitism during the controversy that has ripped through his party.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article