Former pageant queen Caitlin Upton has revealed her depression and suicidal thoughts in the wake of online backlash and bullying.
The Miss Teen USA contestant went viral when she struggled to answer coherently when asked why she thought one in five Americans can’t point out the US on a map.
The video racked up more than 60 million views and Upton now says she was the subject of bullying, hate mail, and threats which led to depression and even thoughts of suicide.
Speaking to New York Magazine, the now-26-year-old revealed: “I definitely went through a period where I was very, very depressed.
“But I never let anybody see that stuff, except for people I could trust. I had some very dark moments where I thought about committing suicide.”
Caitlin was representing South Carolina in the pageant, and despite her gaffe, ended up landing fourth place.
However, she was still the subject of intense bullying in her hometown.
She recalled an incident at a party whereby the University of South Carolina’s baseball team surrounded her, shouting “the meanest, harshest comments.”
She continued: “Somebody once put a letter in my parents’ mailbox about how my body was going to be eaten alive by ants and burned in a freak fire.
“And then it said, in all caps, GO DIE CAITE UPTON, GO DIE FOR YOUR STUPIDITY.”
Caitlin is now a real estate agent and also dabbles in acting, having appeared on numerous TV ads and US show The Amazing Race.
