on the case
Morning Live signs Love Island beauty to host series of specials on BBC show
Watch above to see some of Zara's investigation
A FORMER Love Island bombshell took on a much different role by presenting an exclusive report for a popular BBC show.
Zara McDermott, 27, initially rose to fame as a participant on the fourth series of Love Island.
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After her time on the ITV dating show, the media personality went on to appear in Made in Chelsea and The X Factor: Celebrity.
On Thursday's (July 11) episode of Morning Live, Zara examined the disturbing trend of online trolling.
The segment has been developed in conjunction with The Open University as part of a series of special features.
The TV star acknowledged she herself has been a victim of internet abuse, an experience shared by nearly one-fourth of UK adults who have experienced trolling.
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As part of her exposé for Morning Live, Zara highlights the 'ordinary' lives of her tormenters - such as nurses, teachers, and parents.
In the film, the reality star said: "I've had people comment on everything I post, the things that I'm wearing.
"I've even had people dig into my family life and my relationships.
"It does feel just so invasive and makes me feel scared to post anything nowadays."
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During her time on Love Island, nude pictures of Zara were leaked online.
As part of her investigation, Zara spoke to Professor Kesi Mahendran, of The Open University, who is working on a project called OppAttune.
The purpose of the project is to investigate what Professor Mahendran terms as 'Everyday Extremism".
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She told Zara: "Everyday Extremism is when sort of harmful ideas and content is picked up from memes, stories and jokes that are circulating around online.
"I think that it can sort of escalate quite quickly."
Zara then asked whether Everyday Extremism was exclusive to an online setting.
In response, Professor Mahendran said: "No, what we're finding is that it moves between the online and the offline.
"When it's in the offline world, it can play out differently.
"You can start getting into a situation where you start to just really judge people, because they hold a different view to you."
Aside from her investigative work, Zara also appeared as a contestant in series 21 of Strictly Come Dancing.
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Partnered with Graziano Di Prima, the pair ultimately became the fifth couple to be eliminated.
Morning Live is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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