Nigerian chef Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy, has revealed that she was a victim of cyberbullying following her rise to fame during her 2023 cook-a-thon attempt.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, the Ekiti-born chef admitted she never anticipated the marathon cooking challenge would thrust her into the spotlight.
She said:
“My interest in cooking started when I began living alone as a student. Even the cookathon, I didn’t know it was going to be viral. I didn’t even tell my parents about it; they just saw me. I was shocked to see myself on social media.
If you had asked me this question two years ago or a year ago, I might be crying. But now I’m happy I can talk about this without crying.
There was a time in my life I was even telling God, ‘Can this wait a bit? Can I at least forget some things?’ I felt overwhelmed. The cyberbullying was just a little compared to what I experienced in real life. I was bullied, I was assaulted. I was broken. Social media broke me.”
Chef Dammy shot to prominence in 2023 after embarking on her own cooking marathon, which quickly went viral online.
While her attempt earned her recognition, it also attracted heavy criticism and backlash, leaving her struggling to cope with the pressure of sudden fame.
