'Taking my life back'

NICOLE MADIGAN NEVER THOUGHT THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY SHE SHARED WOULD BE HER OWN

- Kylie Walters

The nightmare for Nicole Madigan started in the place where she should have felt the safest – at home. In a joyful mood, washing dishes after having guests over to watch the footy grand final in 2018 with her new boyfriend Adam, the Brisbane journalist heard a new notification ping on her phone. That tiny noise would shatter her peace for years to come.

“It was a message request that came with the most horrible, vile stuff about us, telling me I was taking her sloppy seconds,” Nicole tells WHO. “I was very shaken.”

For the next 24 hours, Nicole was inundated with messages from Karissa*, a woman Adam had briefly dated before they’d met. But worse was yet to come.

“I got a text from my ex-husband just saying ‘Karissa says hi’ and she also contacted my mum,” Nicole explains. “Then she made a fake account pretending to be me and sending messages to people.”

Karissa began tagging Nicole in Instagram posts, attacking her appearance and spreading made-up rumours about her. Nicole would block her, but a new account would pop up in its place within minutes, continuing the abuse. She didn’t realise it at the time, but Nicole was being stalked.