FEMALE football star Gabriella Howell has inspirationally opened up on the vile sexist abuse she receives online from trolls.
The 22-year-old ace hit back by saying she can "play football and likes wearing high heels".
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Tottenham fan Howell has been playing football since age eight, starting her career at Crystal Palace before moving on to Carshalton and then Sutton United - where she now plays.
She trains twice a week on top of her day job.
But despite helping Sutton top Division One in the London & South East Regional Women's League this season, Howell is still subjected to horrible sexist abuse.
One wrote to her on social media: "That’s the trouble with women’s football, I think players are picked on looks rather than talent."
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Bravely talking to the Mirror about her experiences, Howell suggested she is a target on her Instagram and TikTok accounts because she plays football, but also dresses up and goes out at the weekend.
She said: "You can be both - you can play football and like wearing high heels."
Howell also revealed: "Men will say they’re horny underneath my photos of me playing football - and if I tag my club in the post it’s embarrassing."
The midfielder though chooses not to delete the messages to prove to her fans that a large social media following is not necessarily a good thing.
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Howell also hopes to be a source of inspiration to young girls making their way in the game.
She said: "I like to keep [the hateful comments] on my profiles and I don’t delete them.
"Young girls think they want to be an influencer but they don’t see the downsides. I like to make people aware.
"Not everyone’s going to like you. I repeat that to myself when I see these comments."
She added: "You’ve just got to develop a thick skin."
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