Edith Bowman, 51, discusses being targeted by trolls and says it’s ‘very hard’ for celebrities to ‘come back’ after ‘messing up’ on social media

Edith Bowman has shares her sympathy for younger celebrities, claiming they ‘can’t breathe the wrong way’ without being slammed by online trolls. 

The Radio and TV personality, 51, spoke about the pressures of being famous and how it can be ‘very hard’ to resurrect your career after ‘messing up’ on social media. 

She told The Sun: ‘It’s like you almost breathe in the wrong way and like the world is on you, nobody’s perfect, but if you make a mistake on a public platform, it’s very hard to come back from it’.

‘There’s just no space for anybody to learn, I guess. You don’t get the chance to mess up in public life, apologise and try again.’

Edith’s own career began before social media around the turn of the millennium as part of a new generation of women at MTV, including Cat Deeley, Donna Air and June Sarpong, who were heralded as a fresh type of presenter – ‘ladettes’.

‘We were doing what most girls that age do – having a laugh, dancing and drinking. It’s just that people would take photographs of us coming out of bars. How much fun we had. We made good memories and brilliant friendships.’ 

Edith Bowman, 51, has shares her sympathy for younger celebrities, claiming they ‘can’t breathe the wrong way’ without being slammed by online trolls

The Radio and TV personality spoke about the pressures of being famous and how it can be ‘very hard’ to resurrect your career after ‘messing up’ on social media.

But there was a darker side, with magazines urging aspiring young women to strip off if they wanted to get on.

‘I was tomboyish and I didn’t have a model figure, so I didn’t come under as much pressure as some of the girls,’ said Edith.

‘But one moment sticks in my mind. A group of us were asked to do a shoot for Maxim magazine. I remember saying, “I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to pose in my bra”.

She continued: ‘But there was this pressure; I ended up doing it. I was annoyed at myself for not standing up to it. But it was the only time I did it.’

Last year it emerged Edith’s three-year stint presenting the BBC Hogmanay show has ended, with 32-year-old Amy Irons taking her place.

It followed the Scottish star also being replaced by Shereen Cutkelvin, 27, as the host of the network’s TRNSMT Festival coverage during the summer.

Edith has admitted staying relevant in the entertainment industry is a constant battle and that she has to live with the pressure of having ‘50 people’ always chasing your job.

She said: ‘I try to keep lots of plates spinning so that when one door shuts I’m kind of keeking through another and I can get in there. I’m terrible at saying no, and I don’t do myself any favours in terms of how much workload I put on myself. 

She said: ‘It’s like you almost breathe in the wrong way and like the world is on you, nobody’s perfect, but if you make a mistake on a public platform, it’s very hard to come back from it’

‘There’s just no space for anybody to learn, I guess. You don’t get the chance to mess up in public life, apologise and try again’

Edith’s TV career began around the turn of the millennium as part of a new generation of women at MTV, including Cat Deeley , Donna Air and June Sarpong (Pictured with Cat in 2000)

‘But I love what I do and I know there’s another 50 people there who can do as good a job and that they can pick up that opportunity. So I feel I’ve got to make the most of it while I can.’

The DJ has previously spoken about being ‘edged out’ by Radio One and how she felt ‘let down’ when her weekday afternoon slot was moved to the quieter weekend breakfast show in 2009.

She had said: ‘Lies and deceit are extremely strong words, but the discussions I’d been having with my boss were very far from what I was told in the meeting.’

However, being sidelined by Beeb bosses led to Ms Bowman branching out on her own more and landing Hollywood interviews with the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Steven Spielberg for her podcast Soundtracking.

She said: ‘I didn’t think the  podcast would be so successful. I just wanted to have a conversation about film and music, two of my biggest passions.

‘I love doing all the Q&As and I’m nosy, so I love finding out about how it’s all put together. The pinch-me moment was Steven Spielberg and being able to speak to the man who got me interested in film.’