Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle has described abuse she received from online trolls during a live Q&A on Twitter as "unfortunate".
But the 28-year-old star added she was "heartened" by the reaction from "responsible Twitter users" after yesterday's link up with Sky Sports.
She said in a statement today: "Thanks for all your messages. Yesterday was unfortunate but I've been heartened to see the reaction from responsible Twitter users.
She added that those who had sent her abusive tweets had since apologised.
She said: "A few people did something wrong, were called out on it and apologised. This demonstrated that abuse isn't tolerated.
"I hope everyone continues to react the same way by reporting abuse no matter who is on the receiving end."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">1/3 Thanks for all your messages. Yesterday was unfortunate but I've been heartened to see the reaction from responsible twitter users.— Beth Tweddle (@bethtweddlenews) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425991863011917824" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-335721-https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425991863011917824" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 22, 2014</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">2/3 A few people did something wrong, were called out on it and apologised. This demonstrated that abuse isn't tolerated.— Beth Tweddle (@bethtweddlenews) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425992023544713216" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-335721-https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425992023544713216" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 22, 2014</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">3/3 I hope everyone continues to react the same way by reporting abuse no matter who is on the receiving end.— Beth Tweddle (@bethtweddlenews) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425992141362720768" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-335721-https://twitter.com/bethtweddlenews/statuses/425992141362720768" data-vars-event-id="c23">January 22, 2014</a>
Tweddle, who retired from gymnastics in August 2013, faced a barrage of sexist posts as well as insults about her appearance.
One person wrote: "Will AP McCoy be riding you at the next Grand National?"
Another said: "On a scale of 1/10 how pig ugly would you class yourself?"
In response, women's rights activists at the Everyday Sexism project tweeted: "This is what female athletes are up against".
In a statement Sky said it was "appalled" by the reaction from some Twitter users.
It said: "We're committed to supporting women's sport and Beth's Q&A was a chance for fans to engage with one of Britain's most successful sports stars.
"We're appalled that some people chose to abuse her.
"This experience highlights some of the unacceptable and offensive attitudes that can be encountered by women in the public eye."
