Zoe Ball's son Woody Cook has disclosed that police are investigating an alleged stalker who reportedly impersonated him online. The 25-year-old Celebrity Gogglebox star claimed via Instagram that a "creepy" individual had been "catfishing" strangers by pretending to be him and sharing intimate details about his sex life.
Police investigation launched
Woody reported the alleged catfish to police, prompting a formal investigation. He stated that the unnamed person had terrorised him and others "more than 20 times." In an Instagram story, Woody said: "Just FYI Catfishing as someone and talking nonsense about their sex life to strangers is creepy, immoral and illegal." He encouraged the perpetrator to seek therapy and noted that fake profiles using his identity were being created on social media and messaging apps.
A spokesperson for Woody told the Daily Mail: "We have been made aware that an individual has been contacting people online and claiming to be Woody. We have reported this to the police, and an investigation is underway. As such, we are unable to provide any further comment."
Evidence shared online
Woody shared a screenshot of a message sent by a fake account, which read: "Hey man, hope I'm ok to hyu [hit you up] on here. Just been looking at your prints again, super talented! Might have some artwork I'd like done for my festivals this year. Would you be interested? Woody x" Over the image, Woody wrote: "This is not me! Someone is pretending to be me. Please don't fall for it! Super weird. It's a stalker (And I will be making a police enquiry because he's done this to me and other people 20+ times and I'm done being polite."
Legal context of catfishing
Under current UK law, catfishing is not a specific criminal offence, as there are no provisions against online impersonation in malicious communication laws. However, catfishers can be prosecuted under fraud laws if they obtain money, and under harassment and data protection laws. Campaigners have been pushing for catfishing to be made a specific criminal offence, with a petition launched in March calling for legal recognition of the harm caused by online impersonation.
Instagram, the platform where the alleged stalking and catfishing occurred, has policies against impersonation and allows users to report fake accounts. However, some critics say the platform has not acted quickly enough to protect victims.
Woody's family background
Woody is the son of Zoe Ball and Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim. The couple split in 2016 after 18 years of marriage but lived next door to each other while co-parenting Woody and his sister Nelly. Last year, Woody told OK! magazine about his family: "It's pretty good, for a half-estranged family unit. Not a lot of turmoil at the moment. We are very excited, the four of us. Not that we are actually 'a family'. They are still very much not together. As much as the papers keep trying to insinuate they're back together. Just to clarify that!"
