AFL WAG Chloe Pink says trolls sent 'disgraceful' comments after awards night

Chloe Pink, the wife of North Melbourne defender Toby Pink, said she was the target of a torrent of online abuse about her appearance after sharing photos from the club's Best and Fairest awards night, and that some comments left her ‘‘crying for days.’'

The 25-year-old told news.com.au she had worked with a stylist and chosen a full-length white gown because she worried about how much of her arms and chest would be visible and the reaction that might follow. Despite dreading it, she read the club's social media comments and said several were deleted by moderators after they appeared.

Pink recounted that one user wrote she looked like a "heifer brought in from a paddock." She said the remarks compounded earlier abuse she received after posting wedding photos; she and Toby Pink, childhood sweethearts, married earlier this year after more than seven years together.

"I was very anxious about what I wore and how I looked and finding a dress that was flattering on me," Pink said. "If I had my arms or chest out, I knew the comments would have been 10 times worse."

Pink said she seeks professional help to cope with the criticism and does not understand why she attracts so much vitriol. "The public are so used to seeing a WAG that is a size 8 or 10," she said. "I'm a size 14 or 16, and my husband is in love with me, but I am more different to the rest."

She described her husband as supportive when they see the abuse. "He is really positive, and when we see it, he is like, 'it sucks,' but he always says you have to ignore it and know that I love you and you look good and they are nobodies,'" Pink said.

Online harassment of partners of high-profile athletes has drawn attention in recent years, with social platforms and clubs occasionally removing abusive posts. Pink's account, and the club's moderation of posts related to the awards night, highlight continuing tensions over how social media is used to comment on players' families and partners.

Pink said she is determined not to let the comments define her, stressing the importance of support from family and professional help in dealing with the fallout from online abuse.