Marina Joyce hits back at claims her ‘ISIS kidnap’ was a stunt and says accusations are ‘RUBBISH’
On Sunday, Marina Joyce was just an ordinary 19-year-old living a quiet life in suburban London.
Now she's become a global sensation after finding herself at the centre of a viral firestorm ignited by claims she'd been kidnapped by ISIS in a bid to lure teens into a terror trap.
But after vast numbers of people joined in a "frenzied" quest to find out the truth behind these extraordinary rumours, an online backlash has now begun.
Some of the same people who were gripped by the Twitter drama have now launched a hate campaign using the hashtag #boycottmarinajoyce to share angry claims that the affair was a publicity stunt.
In an interview with The Sun Online, she said suggestions she had organised the spectacle were "rubbish".
"I'm not paying attention to the angry things," she said.
"I'm focusing on the positive.
"I have a lot more viewers, which is incredible for me, and I'm pleased to have more subscribers to my Youtube channel."
Marina admitted to being a little bit shaken by the "scary" level of global attention, which became so intense that police were called to her house in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The boost in Marina's fame has been enormous and she has more than 1.3 million subscribers on Youtube and almost half a million on Twitter.
"I did feel famous before, but now I feel there's a lot of attention on me," she added.
"People care about me now."
When we spoke to Marina, she was preparing for a photo shoot and considering how to capitalise on the remarkable affair.
We asked her if the viral storm was the best thing which had ever happened to her.
She replied: "Yes, it was."
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Marina went to school at St. Edmunds College and lives with her mother and brother in an ordinary suburban house in Enfield
Marina Joyce's father lives in Ireland, where he moved after breaking up with her mother.
According to Marina, he hasn't actually heard about the sensation which swept the world yesterday.
She added: "I have heard from him, but he hasn't said anything. I don't think he knows.
"He has been in touch, but I haven't replied to him."
The emerging web celeb denied rumours she had been taking drugs and also squashed claims she was in an abusive relationship, having previously dismissed fears about apparent bruises on her arm by .
But although Marina and even her mother appear to be enjoy the attention, there is already a growing backlash.
A hate campaign launched on Twitter late last night, with angry people using the hashtag #BoycottMarinaJoyce to express their fury.
Some people posted violent images and videos which carried an implied threat, whilst others quickly turned to racist abuse and wondered why they were so concerned about the fate of a "random white girl".
The hate campaign was sparked when Marina released a video in which she said: "This was a publicity stunt by my viewers, not by me."
However, although Marina explicity denied the viral whirlwind was set up to win her more fans, she did note that other people had piggybacked on her success.
Alfie Deyes, a video blogger who's part of a YouTube power couple with his girlfriend Zoella, became involved in the Marina debacle after publishing a tweet which nodded towards rumours Marina had been kidnapped in a bid to lure youngsters into a terror trap.
Marina added: "On Youtube, I think people take the opportunity to jump of anything which can get them viewers to watch and listen to what they do.
"He took the opportunity and that's OK. It's a good idea and I respect him for that."
However, although Marina appears to believe her newfound fame is a good thing, she hasn't quite worked out what she's going to do with it.
"Have you got any ideas?" she joked.
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