The BBC publicly condemned toxic online commentary directed at Irish singer-songwriter CMAT on Friday, as the artist prepares for her sold-out concert in Dublin this weekend.
The broadcaster issued the statement after the 30-year-old musician, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, revealed that persistent body shaming has overshadowed her professional milestones following her performance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland.
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Representatives from BBC Radio One confirmed they are in contact with the singer and her management team to offer assistance.
"We fully support CMAT and condemn any toxic commentary aimed at her," the BBC Radio One statement read.
The network praised her recent festival appearance, noting that social media comments on official network posts featuring the artist have now been disabled.
"She performed a phenomenal set at Radio 1's Big Weekend, which received an amazing reaction from the crowd in Sunderland and from those who’ve enjoyed it on iPlayer and Sounds," the broadcaster added.
The singer previously detailed her distress in a lengthy Instagram post, explaining that the online discourse reached her despite having deleted major social media applications to safeguard her mental health.
"This isn’t going to be a nice post so I decided to cushion the blow by leading with a picture where I look literally amazing," wrote CMAT.
The artist explained that the negative commentary has intensified in tandem with her growing public profile, making the situation increasingly difficult to manage.
"It is literally so boring for me, a gorgeous genius, to keep having to yap on about how horribly I am treated because of my body," she wrote.
She expressed a sense of helplessness regarding the continuous online hostility she faces across different professional environments.
"I would love to stop but I cannot because it keeps happening, at an accelerating and worsening pace as I become more famous," wrote CMAT.
The musician emphasized that the situation remains relentless despite her ongoing professional efforts.
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"There is no relief from this, nobody can protect me or save me from this, and all that is demanded of me is more and more work as every environment I am placed in becomes more hostile," she wrote.
The singer clarified that her physical appearance is not a deliberate statement or a form of musical rebellion.
"I am not choosing to look like this or weigh this much as some kind of punk rock act of liberty," wrote CMAT.
She stated that she simply possesses a body that does not conform, which subjects her to ongoing online vitriol.
"I simply have a body, one that I would of course like to change in order to fit in and avoid all of this abuse, but I have had extreme difficulty in doing so," she wrote.
The artist noted that she has no choice but to endure the public scrutiny.
"I don’t get a say in whether or not I want to be brave, I simply have to sit here and take it," wrote CMAT.
While expressing gratitude for her musical career, she acknowledged that the persistent abuse has negatively impacted her achievements.
"The success is increasingly becoming tarnished by the fact that I would be allowed to enjoy it so much more if I was thin," she wrote.
Fellow musicians, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, voiced their solidarity with the artist following the statement.
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CMAT is scheduled to perform a sold-out concert at St Anne’s Park in Dublin on Saturday as part of her Euro-Country tour.
