BEAUTIFUL Princess-Bliss Dickson was just 16 years old when she took her own life over horrific abuse about her looks.
But far from this being another tragic case of high school bullying, Princess was pushed to the brink by thousands of online trolls, lurking on toxic gossip forum Tattle.Life.
Princess-Bliss Dickson took her life after cruel abuse online Credit: Instagram/sophiemaydickson.dogs
Princess spiralled over comments about her appearance on the Tattle.Life forum Credit: Instagram
Now her heartbroken mum has spoken for the first time about the family’s loss after the stunning teenager was found dead from an overdose in February.
Princess’ mum has slammed the vicious website which allows users to post anonymously about influencers and celebrities – with no accountability for the harm it brings.
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Sophie-May Dickson, 32, said: “They kicked her when she was down, they preyed upon it.
“They saw her mental health was bad, knew we’d gone through bad things and targeted her. It’s there, it’s all on there in black and white.”
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Princess was brought up in the public eye after she and younger sister Precious were cast alongside their mum in 2014 Channel 5 documentary Blinging Up Baby.
It showed the glamorous wardrobes Sophie lavished upon her girls as they grew up in Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Sophie said: “I’m not an influencer, I’m a mother who made an Instagram, like the other however millions of people in the world, and posted lovely pictures of my children who I’m proud of.”
Sophie’s page quickly attracted the attention of Tattle trolls and she was slated from dusk til dawn.
As the girls became teenagers, they naturally took to Instagram and Tiktok themselves, Sophie tells YouTuber turned TV host GK Barry in her new documentary, Toxic Gossip.
Opening up on Princess’ spiral for the first time, Sophie said: “They said terrible things about them both.
“Did I see it affect her and her spiral from it? Yeah.
“And then when they knew she was online and looking at it, wow, wow. A pack of wolves on that little girl.
“I don’t understand these people, you don’t do that to children.”
Sophie May Dickson, Princess Bliss Dickson and Precious Belle Dickson when they appeared on Channel 5’s Blinging Up Baby Credit: Channel 5
GK Barry features Princess’ tragic story on her documentary special Toxic Gossip Credit: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Full Fat Television
Users on the anonymous forum began to notice Princess making comments about the page, and GK shared a number of references.
The I’m A Celebrity star noted some including: “Anyone seen her tiktok about reading on here?”
“Shes choosing to read clearly… she’s making a choice.”
“Maybe if she didn’t play up to it, we wouldn’t comment.”
Sophie, who had Princess when she was 16 years old, remembers the first time her eldest daughter referenced the site.
In the BBC iPlayer special, she said: “I’ll never forget we had a takeaway and she started eating extra Chinese and telling me she was having extra Chinese.
“I always tell my children, if you can’t talk to me about anything because you feel embarrassed or whatever, write it down, and then tell mummy that way.
“She wrote ‘there was a statement thing saying how skinny I was, and I will have an eating disorder which is why I’m trying to eat more.’”
In her later years Princess began to push back at the trolls, writing captions on her online images like: ‘Do not comment on my body. Do not reply. Your business is yours. Mine is mine.’”
Princess took her life on February 7 this year. She left a note for Sophie-May, which the mum read to GK Barry.
Sophie-May said: “The very last thing she said to me, she wrote some beautiful things.
“She said ‘make sure you look after yourself and my siblings. You better not let me down, you’d better not let yourself go, you’d better stand on business, and do not let them see you weak.’”
Sophie-May Dickson put her best foot forward for Princess funeral, like her tragic girl asked her to Credit: Instagram
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
She explained to GK that the ‘them’ referred to people online.
“Tattle.Life has definitely played a part in my daughter’s mental health, 110%,” she said.
“They kicked her when she was down, they preyed upon it.
“They saw her mental health was bad, knew we’d gone through bad things and targeted her
“It’s there, it’s all on there black and white.”
Sophie said she reported the threads on her and her children several times but received no response.
When GK investigated, she found that site administrators had closed one thread on Princess after her death and said “minors were outside the remit of a gossip forum”.
However, thousands of negative comments about Princess, Precious and Sophie remain.
GK said: “You clearly don’t care about people’s wellbeing or what is being put on these threads if you don’t reply.
“I don’t understand the twisted logic of these forums – they’re saying Sophie’s exposing her children to people saying horrible things and that’s what you’ve done by putting your kids in the public eye.
“But on the same thread it’s people saying disgusting things about her children.
“You can’t say ‘we’re worried about the welfare of her children’ when you have directly impacted the mental health of her child with what you’ve said.”
As Sophie-May grieved for her girl, trolls slammed her online when she posted a touching photo from besieged her daughter’s coffin.
In a post, she wrote: “26.3.26. The day I tucked my baby to sleep for the very last time. The hardest goodbye.
“How do you ever accept kissing your baby for the very last time? I love you princess. You are loved beyond belief.
“I’ll see you next in heaven girl. Please be at the gates to greet me when it’s my time and show me all around.
“Miss you so much – this missing piece will never ever be filled. You took a piece of me when you left.”
But trolls slammed the images from the grieving mum as inappropriate.
Sophie-May faced cruel backlash after posting pictures from Princess’ funeral to honour her girl Credit: Instagram
One critic said: “I find this totally bizarre. I remember burying my partner and I could barely get dressed or talk to anyone at all.
“I know we all grieve different but wow social media and vanity has really got a hold of you.
“This is truly just weird. I was an utter sobbing, unsocial, miserable absolute hollow mess.”
Sophie-May hit back, saying she had taken the pictures to capture the last moments with her daughter, adding: “I did not broadcast this for views.”
At the hearing at County Hall in Chelmsford, Essex, in April Princess-Bliss’s family were present to attend proceedings.
Senior coroner Lincoln Brookes, said: “My deep condolences to all of you, and I suspect to a great many family and friends that are not here today.”
Coroner’s officer, Matthew Austin, said Princess was living in private supported accommodation in Waltham Abbey at the time of her death.
He said: “She was found unresponsive in bed. An ambulance was called and her death was confirmed at the scene.
“Essex Police are carrying out a police investigation into the death.”
Blinging Up Baby triggered a huge amount of debate as well as an Ofcom investigation following complaints from viewers.
The media regulator assessed the show against section one of the broadcasting code relating to the involvement of under 18s on TV.
It states children must not be caused “unnecessary distress or anxiety by their involvement in… or by the broadcast of those programmes.”
Ofcom bosses later found the show did breach rule 1.28 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.
Sophie-May can only dream of the day such a judgement is brought on Tattle.Life.
The Jattvibe approached Tattle.Life for a response and a spokesperson said:
“First and foremost, Tattle Life wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Princess Bliss Dickson.
“Tattle Life has never received an email from Sophie Dickson. We take every report seriously and every page has a link to the reporting procedure.
“Tattle Life remains confident in its moderation processes and compliance. We welcome open conversation with any relevant authority.
“It is essential for the Coroner’s office to be allowed the time and space to perform its duties thoroughly before any conclusions are drawn.
“At this time, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
You can watch GK Barry: Toxic Gossip on BBC iPlayer now.
For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.
GK Barry investigated Tattle Life for a BBC documentary Credit: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Full Fat Television
