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Metro
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
I name and shame Tattle gossip trolls - and even tell their bosses
The internet can be a breeding ground for trolls and it's none more so evident than on the infamous online forum Tattle Life. Described as the 'the most hate-filled corner of the web', the site has hit the headlines after its founder was unmasked as plant-based recipe influencer Sebastian Bond, known as Bastian Durward of Nest & Glow. His identity came to light after Neil and Donna Sands, who runs the clothing brand Syklie, sued the website for hosting defamatory commentary about them. They argued that the website has 'profited as a space where users could defame, harass, stalk and attack others online' and were awarded £300,000 by the Northern Ireland High Court last week. Despite many petitions to shut Tattle life down, the site is so popular there is even a waitlist to join. A delve into its pages quickly unearths thousands of vicious threads posted by an army of devoted users. 'What a rough-looking, ugly, greasy bleep. Look at that manky tan line near her greasy hairline,' one commenter, called officially2020, said in a post about a reality star. Another, who goes under the name of teshhco-tart, described a famous cleaning influencer as 'the most low energy, uncreative, ungrateful, lazy, ugly and unhygienic hating witch there is!'. There's also a thread all about how ugly the children of one TV presenter are. Tattle Life rules state a zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful – but it's clear many users say whatever they want about anyone they want without any fear of accountability. Under the cloak of anonymity that the site offers, some commentators must have felt untouchable. That was, until recently. Lawsuits aside, there's a wave of Instagram accounts seeking to expose the trolls that stalk the site's pages in the same manner over the last few years. One is called Tattlers_Unmasked, a private account with over 38,000 followers, which sporadically reveals the people they say are behind the hurtful comments on Tattle Life. Those being exposed come from all walks of life, from charity workers to retail assistants, and not only are their names and pictures posted, but workplaces are tagged and LinkedIn profiles are screengrabbed. After 'outing' one troll, the account declared: 'I hope now she knows what it feels like to be scrutinised.' Speaking exclusively to Metro, the woman behind Tattle Unmasked says that she decided to reveal the identity of the 'trolls' posting on the site because 'no one else is standing up for the people who have threads'. 'They just have to take it,' explains Michelle, who has asked to go under a pseudonym to protect her own identity. 'Tattlers take it upon themselves to contact brands, contact the press, report influencers to the RSPCA, Social Services and anyone else they can report people to. What gives them the right to do that? Unmasking them is my way of clapping back for the influencers. 'Having spoken to many people who have threads, it is not knowing what their tattlers look like that is the most frightening. They could be anyone. Tattlers_Unmasked gives my followers the chance to see for themselves that tattlers are just normal people, like you and me.' Initially called the site first appeared online in 2017 with Helen McDougall named as its originator. 'Helen' is quoted on the forum as saying that the motivation to set up Tattle was due to some influencers 'brazenly breaking the guidelines for adverts' in posts where they were paid to promote brands or products. Yet it's not just a breach of advertising standards that influencers and celebrities are being attacked for. While the site claims to have a team of moderators online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks its strict rules, a search exposes thousands of forums tearing women apart for everything from their looks to their mental health or even their children. While Katie Price, Kate Garraway and Alice Evans are constant subjects of scrutiny, it's not just household celebrities and influencers with millions of followers who can fall victim. Vicky Saynor runs the Bethnal & Bec holiday rental company with her husband Chris and found herself facing 10 days of terrifying trolling back in 2020 when they opened up their properties for survivors of domestic abuse to use as safe housing. 'The abuse felt constant,' she tells Metro. 'We worked with local authorities and social services to ensure everything was above board and posted about our decision on Instagram.' Although the couple never identified the women who sought shelter, someone decided to set up a Tattle thread accusing them of offering her refuge to make themselves look good. 'They said we weren't qualified and were putting the women's lives at risk,' remembers Vicky. 'Someone encouraged others to troll our social accounts, and we started to get 20-30 messages a day on Instagram.'Although she was too scared to view the actual thread on Tattle, Vicky asked a friend to keep an eye on it in case things took a nasty turn. 'They knew our address as we lived near our rental properties and people were threatening to turn up,' she remembers. 'There was so much anger, I was terrified. The abuse lasted for about 10 days before it died down, but it felt like forever. I'm not an influencer with a huge following, I'm just a business owner who tried to do a nice thing during the pandemic.' Tattle famously hit the headlines back in 2019 when prominent influencer Clemmie Hooper, known then as Mother of Daughters, was found to be a troll on the site, attacking fellow blogger Candice Brathwaite. When her identity was outed by internet sleuths, midwife Clemmie confessed to being behind the comments and quit social media. While the scandal not only rocked the world of mummy influencers, it also proved that no one could hide behind the safety of a screen. Michelle insists that no one is outed on her site unless she is '10000% confident' they are the correct person – and she refuses to worry about the repercussions. 'If Tattlers can say the most awful things about people in the name of gossip, then I, like them, have no qualms about doing what I do,' she admits. 'At the end of the day, I am only posting what is available to be viewed by anyone else if they do a deep dive. I just pull it altogether.' Of course, there is the risk that in turn she could be unmasked herself and trolled – especially, as she claims, that she has site owners or moderators following her, although she says it's not a concern. 'I only have one IG account, which is Tattlers_Unmasked, and I have one Facebook account that is not in my name, which is buried and inconspicuous,' Michelle explains. 'There are no photos of me online and I have no digital footprint – anywhere.' Michelle adds that when she unmasks someone, the Tattlers who follow her head over to a thread on Tattle Life, which is dedicated to trying to find out who she is. 'The moderators then spend the next few hours removing all mention of my account,' she says. 'I have taken screen grabs of them telling members 'Do not feed the trolls the oxygen that they crave'. It's quite ironic when you think of it!' Another person who has started outing Tattle Life users is social media influencer Chloe*. Although she does it on a 'less public' level, she adds. As a content creator, she's been the brunt of many Tattle threads. 'It's hard to believe such a vile place exists,' she tells Metro. 'I started on quite a small level, but when my popularity grew, out came the trolls. They would comment on anything and everything and get really personal, literally picking me apart. 'What makes it odd is that these are women not a million miles away from who I am – I even knew one of them on a personal level. But when they thought I wouldn't know who was saying what about me, they let rip. It's wild.' Chloe says it's actually really easy to find out who the people are behind the accounts. 'People leave such a trail of clues without even realising,' she laughs. Is unmasking anonymous online trolls the right approach to dealing with cyberbullying? Yes, it holds them accountable No, it could incite further harmful behaviour There needs to be a better system in place But rather than confront them publicly, she reports them to their workplaces instead. 'I think the fact that people are now exposing those behind these horrible threads is wonderful, but I never wanted to do it with a big song and dance. I just want people to be held accountable in some way, so they realise that their actions have consequences. And when the evidence is presented to your boss it's a pretty damning and serious situation to be in.' Of course, while many will say being exposed is exactly what the trolls deserve, others argue that it's tantamount to online bullying itself. Counsellor Georgina Sturmer believes that outing abusive commentators could lead to further destructive behaviour and that their online abuse is usually always a sign of sadness or insecurity. 'Trolling could be someone's coping mechanism,' she tells Metro. 'That's not to say it's right, but there could be a real risk with unmasking them. This might lead to an outburst of anger, anxiety or panic. 'If someone engages in trolling behaviours, it's usually an indication that they are feeling unhappy or insecure about something,' adds Georgina. 'This might be triggered by the person they are trolling. Some operate in isolation, but often trolls will 'pile in' on another's comment or action. More Trending 'They are drawn in to agree and support each other as it offers them a feeling of validation and a sense of belonging. This is particularly attractive if they are feeling lonely, disconnected or misunderstood in their everyday lives.' However, Michelle, who says that none of her friends, family or colleagues know about her unmasking site – says she has no plans of stopping any time soon. 'My account gains new followers daily,' she says. 'And as long as there are Tattlers to out, the account will remain.' *Name has been changed. A version of this article first appeared in April 2024. MORE: Katie Price shows off new figure in tiny bikini after weight loss and bum job MORE: 'I was given a gun when I turned 12 — teachers said I'd be dead by 25' MORE: Online spells and WitchTok – welcome to the world of modern day witches Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Metro
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Tattle Life creator unmasked as anonymous blogger Sebastian Bond
The man behind an online gossip forum where users tear down both famous and regular people has been unmasked. 'Gossip' website Tattle Life first appeared on the internet in 2018 as a website for people to 'fairly' criticise celebrities. But seven years and 48,000 threads later, the site has become notorious for people to mock, degrade and dox family members of content creators. Now the man behind Tattle Life has been exposed as plant-based recipe influencer Sebastian Bond, known as Bastian Durward of Nest & Glow. Irish couple Neil and Donna Sands discovered Bond's identity after suing the website for hosting defamatory commentary about them. Donna, who runs the clothing brand Syklie, and tech businessman Neil were awarded £300,000 by the Northern Ireland High Court last week. With reporting restrictions lifted, Bond has been unmasked as making the site, having gone under the fake name 'Helen McDougal' On the Nest & Glow website, Bond describes himself as 'a former office worker that quit long days in London to move to the countryside and share natural recipes and lifestyle tips'. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
Cosmopolitan
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Revealed: Identity of Tattle Life's publisher is finally unmasked after 7 years, and it's a male influencer
Tattle Life, an online gossip forum featuring endless threads tearing influencers apart and causing some severe trauma, has had its day in court – with the founder behind the heinous website finally exposed. For over 7 years, nobody knew who set up the website, but after a global investigation launched by an Irish couple, Neil and Donna Sands, it's been revealed that a plant-based recipe influencer and author, Sebastian Bond, better known online as Bastian Durward (of Nest & Glow), has been behind the entire thing. The Sands have been awarded £300,000 after suing the website which hosted defamatory and harassing commentary about them both. Tattle Life billed itself as a place for "commentary and critiques of people that choose to monetise their personal life as a business and release it into the public domain", but which also saw influencers routinely defamed, bullied and even doxxed on occasion. Cosmopolitan UK has spoken with one content creator whose home was doxxed via Tattle Life while she was pregnant. She says when she tried to contact the site about feeling afraid and vulnerable in her own home, after users worked out the street she lived on and discussed it openly, she was met with a wall of silence from Tattle Life. Another social media user told Cosmopolitan UK how she deleted her social accounts due to cruel comments about her weight, diet and struggle to conceive on the site. The website is thought to attract millions of views each month and in 2021, The Guardian reported Tattle Life made over £276,000 in advertising revenue during a six-month timeframe. Here's what we know about the Tattle Life court case which finally exposed the mysterious founder behind it. Tattle Life, founded in 2018, describes itself as a website and chat forum in which social media users can 'fairly' scrutinise influencers, viewing them as fair game because they choose to openly share some aspects of their life online to generate income. However, the threads on the website are far from limited to influencers and mock, degrade and dox family members of content creators, those not making money from social media and even children. Tattle Life claims to have a "zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful, harmful and a team of moderators online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks our strict rules - often in minutes". Many reports say otherwise, and in the court case involving the Sands it is reported that Neil Sands first flagged defamatory and harassing content about himself in February 2021, but that the posts were allowed to remain live on the website until May 2025. The website describes influencer marketing as "insidious; it revolves around people that occupy the space between celebrity and friend to stealthy sell". It adds that content creators "hoodwink followers into thinking they care what they have to say to foster the faux friend relationship [but] the main reason is to get brands to reach out to offer cash and freebies to advertise. Can you really trust social media influencers to give impartial and honest opinions once money is involved?". Tattle Life also bills itself as a defence mechanism for the public's mental health and a champion of free speech. "It's an important part of a healthy, free and fair society for members of the public to have an opinion on those in a position of power and influence; that is why tattle exists. We allow people to express their views on businesses away from an influencers feed on a site where they would have to go out of their way to read, this is not trolling." On 13 June 2025, The High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland issued an application that lifted reporting restrictions and revealed that the identity of Tattle Life's publisher is Sebastian Bond, a businessman who used a number of different names (including Bastian Durward and 'Helen McDougal'). He is 43-years-old and was an influencer himself, with a vegan cooking account, Nest & Glow, on Instagram boasting 135,000 followers. On the Nest & Glow website, Bond describes himself as "a former office worker that quit long days in London to move to the countryside and share natural recipes and lifestyle tips". According to The Journal's coverage of his legal case involving the Sands, it took two years for Bond to be brought to justice. Bond has two businesses linked to his name: Yuzu Zest Limited (a UK-registered company) and Kumquat Tree Limited (registered in Hong Kong). Tattle Life's website states it is operated by 'Lime Goss', which fits in with the citrussy theme. When discussing the case, Peter Barr, an experienced litigator at Gateley, said: "This wasn't just a matter of law – it was a global forensic investigation. We had to pursue the money around the world, from the UK to Hong Kong, using a mix of legal innovation and digital evidence to expose what was clearly a sophisticated effort to avoid scrutiny. "This judgment sends a clear message that online anonymity cannot shield unlawful behaviour." Neil and Donna Sands are the Irish couple who successfully sued Tattle Life and Bond. They were awarded £300,000 in damages after a two-year legal battle. Donna is the owner of clothing brand Sylkie and is also in the process of starting a drinks business with her husband, Neil. Neil is said to be a founder involved in the AI space and owner of Fox Design Venture Studio. Posting about the outcome online, Neil Sands said: "As a couple we never wanted or expected to undertake this work, however when we discovered the hate site we were forced to take action. We are very grateful for your support, and hope that this serves as a reminder to those who want to attack others from behind a screen - that the internet is not an anonymous place."We will share more soon, but for today, we hope that this news will provide some peace to those affected by online hate and harassment, and that the internet can be a safer space for us all." Talking about the case, he is also reported (by to have said, "We believe in free speech, but not consequence-free speech – particularly where it is intended to, and succeeds in, causing real-world damage to people's lives, livelihoods and mental health. We were in the fortunate position to be able to take the fight to these faceless operators, and it took a lot of time, effort and expense." The High Court is due to review the case on 26 June 2025. Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC's Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women's Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
