YouTuber and fitness influencer Elle Darby has apologised after historical offensive tweets from 2011 resurfaced, sparking widespread criticism. The 26-year-old, who has over 720,000 Instagram followers, described the messages as 'disgusting' and said they were 'racist, fat-phobic, and homophobic'.
The tweets, sent from an old account, contained racial slurs and insulted Polish and Indian people, as well as those who are overweight. In a video posted to her YouTube channel, which has more than 580,000 subscribers, Darby expressed shame and apologised unreservedly.
Her fiancé, Connor Swift, a fellow YouTuber and founder of a fitness clothing brand, also apologised for offensive tweets he sent as a teenager, saying he felt 'shame, embarrassment and sadness'. Darby announced she would take time offline to reflect.
Despite the apologies, social media users have criticised the couple, questioning the sincerity of their statements. Newsbeat has contacted their management for further comment.
