Speaking to a UK newspaper, a tearful Stephanie admitted that she used to socialise with older girls who had ‘trouble’ with youngsters in a ‘rival gang’.
She told The Sun: “When I was 14 I used to hang around with a girl in the older years, and our group had problems with a gang from a different school.
“There were times when I had to leave school early because there were a load of girls waiting for me outside the gates.
“It got so bad that the police were called once. That was years ago. But since I sang on the live show last week I’ve been sent death threats.”
The 19-year-old continued: “I’ve had 200 messages on Twitter from people saying that they’re going to knife me, and that I’m going to get what’s coming to me. They’ve threatened my family too.
“One message, from someone who lives near me, said I was only on X Factor because of what I look like — and when I leave that can be changed.
X FACTOR'S CHLOE JASMINE 'IN HOSPITAL' ATER NASTY ACCIDENT
“I reported the threats to the show, who have reported them to Twitter.”
Fellow contestant Chloe Jasmine has also received a tirade of abuse via social media since first appearing on the X Factor.
A spokesperson for ITV said: “We encourage all contestants who receive abusive messages on Twitter to report them.”
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