Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams was bullied after becoming famous

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Maisie WilliamsImage source, AP

Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams has revealed she was bullied online by students at her school - because of her acting career.

The 17-year-old says she would sit in her bedroom crying and her brother would ask why she was so grumpy.

"I was the one person that got an opportunity first," she says.

"I was told, 'They're just jealous' but that doesn't make me feel any better. It still hurts, they're still doing it."

Image source, Sky Atlantic

She says because she felt she couldn't tell anyone what was happening at the time, her mood was put down to being a teenager.

"I just felt like, 'Yeah I am a teenager,' but actually there's something really, really wrong and not being able to reach out," she explains.

"I remember being sat on the train right next to my mum and scrolling through messages and messages and messages.

"My heart just dropped and you get that lump in your throat and you're trying not to cry."

Image source, Getty Images

The bullying finally stopped when she deleted her online profiles and left school.

Maisie, who plays Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, says that isn't the answer in most cases, but she says she did it because her career was really beginning to take-off.

"Don't say anything or post anything on the internet that you wouldn't say or do in person," she says.

"I thought that the popular girls at school meant that the whole world hated me.

"I've now got one best friend from school and we both decided to leave that popularity contest behind."

You can hear more from Maisie on Radio 1 Stories: Anti-Social Media on Tuesday night at 21:00 GMT.

Radio 1 has linked up with YouthNet, external to host an hour of live advice on how to deal with online bullying between 10-11pm every night (Mon-Thurs) and there's help at BBC Advice.

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