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Deborah Meaden has hit back at an ageist troll for judging her appearance.
On Sunday, the Dragon’s Den
The former Strictly Come Dancing online troll and criticised him for his antiquated views.
“Because it’s not a beauty contest and age happens,” Meaden replied.
“It’s not a desease and... another and…this is a Business programme not a beauty contest [sic].”
The 61-year-old’s scathing reply quickly earned the approval of her 365,000 followers with many joining the conversation to show their support.
“Looking ‘old’ is an insult mostly used against women because wisdom and experience aren’t considered ‘sexy’. Rock on, Deborah!” one person wrote.
Another added: “Bravo !!! Well said !!! Ageism is a terrible thing, and women especially bear the brunt.”
A third person commented: “So sick of men judging women on looks. It’s depressingly common still.”
This is not the first time Meaden has spoken out against online trolls.
In 2019, the businesswoman was involved in a campaign called “Don’t Feed the Trolls” aimed to stamp out those who use apps like Twitter to spread racist , sexist , xenophobic and other hateful messaging.
Meaden joined a host of celebrities, including TV presenter Gary Lineker and London mayor Sadiq Khan , in calling on social media users to mute, block and report any “abhorrent” and derogatory comments they receive.
At the time, Khan encouraged more people to play their part in tackling online hate, stating that there is “tremendous power” in the way users react to social media conversations.
Show all 24 1 /2424 pieces of life advice from celebrities 24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 6. Oprah Winfrey “The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 1. Demi Lovato “No matter what you're going through, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem hard to get to it but you can do it and just keep working towards it and you'll find the positive side of things.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 2. Bruce Lee “It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 3. Ziggy Marley “Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 4. Winnie The Pooh “Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”
24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 5. Lena Dunham "I am certainly no self-help guru but here is what I know tonight: when you take the time and space you need, kindly and responsibly, you're suddenly available to the people you love in a whole new way."
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 7. Barack Obama “If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 8. Michelle Obama “One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 9. Lizzo "I love you. You are beautiful and you can do anything."
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 10. RuPaul "The only thing wrong with me was that I thought there was something wrong with me."
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 11. Maya Angelou “You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 12. Stephen Fry “It is the useless things that make life worth living and that make life dangerous too: wine, love, art, beauty. Without them life is safe, but not worth bothering with.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 13. Meghan Markle “Be able to delegate, because there are some things that you just can’t do by yourself.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 14. Nelson Mandela “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 15. Haruki Murakami "And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 16. CS Lewis “You Are Never Too Old To Set Another Goal Or To Dream A New Dream.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 17. Audery Hepburn “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 18. Ella Fitzgerald “Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 19. Billy Porter “For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 20. Betty White “It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 21. Drew Barrymore "Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 22. Jane Fonda “It’s never too late – never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 23. Jennifer Aniston “There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.”
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24 pieces of life advice from celebrities 24. Beyonce Knowles "The reality is: sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose. You’re never too big to lose. You’re never too smart to lose. It happens"
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“By ignoring, muting or blocking the trolls we can deny them the reactions they seek,” he said.
“Government and social media companies must up their game to ensure it is a safe space for people to exchange ideas.”
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