A man thought he’d been in a relationship with Kym Marsh for "10 years" after she had her identity stolen and used on a dating website without her knowing.
The ‘Coronation Street’ star – who has portrayed Michelle McDonald in the long-running soap since 2007 – couldn’t believe it when she found out someone had been using her photographs and catfishing – a term used to describe someone who pretends to be someone they’re not – people via online romancing sites.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’ on Wednesday (05.04.17), she said: "I knew there were fake profiles of me on social media – to a certain extent you expect it a little bit.
"But this one particular day I came home to a bunch of flowers on the doorstep of my home with a card that said ‘Sorry you couldn’t make the date, hope you’re better soon’ with kisses and no name. And obviously my boyfriend was a bit like, ‘What’s this about? The police did find out who it was, they contacted the guy and he thought he’d been having a relationship with me for the last ten years. He said that originally they’d been talking over social media and then this person [the catfish] had been texting and stuff as well and claiming to be me. They wouldn’t give me that information [whether the catfish was a woman]. It was really creepy… to have somebody at your home."
However, the 40-year-old actress isn’t the only one who has been targeted by manipulative impersonators as she has admitted her family have also been targeted.
She explained: "Someone had claimed to been my niece and said that my actual niece had died of cancer. It also affects my family too."
Someone even pretended to be Kym’s 20-year-old daughter Emily, whom she has with her ex-partner Dave Cunliffe, and signed her up to bisexual dating websites.
She said: "Since Emily has been about 14/15, there has been fake profiles made about her. We kept reporting it and it kept being taken off and another would put back up. One profile claimed she was bisexual and wanted to meet girls. She was getting really distressed about it because things were being said about her that’s not true."
Kym Marsh gets identity stolen
