A MEGHAN Markle lookalike has said online trolls have used her as a “punchbag” following the duchess’ bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.
Mum-of-three Sarah Mhlanga, from Manchester, typically charges £300 an appearance and has been left stunned by the abuse she has received.
Sarah now fears she may have to quit her job when lockdown ends due to Meghan causing such an uproar in the UK.
She told Closer magazine: “There are some people who feel like [Meghan is] waging a war on the royals, and people can’t access Meghan so they’re using me as their punchbag.
“I get messages saying I’m attention-seeking and that I should be ashamed to represent Meghan. It’s so hurtful.
“I love Meghan, but now, after this interview, I’m worried people won’t want to hire me.”
Sarah said she started working as Meghan’s lookalike in August 2017, after an Ikea worker pointed out her resemblance to the royal.
The lookalike said she started receiving cruel messages after Meghan and Prince Harry announced they were stepping down as senior royals last year.
However, she said that abuse has intensified following Meghan’s Oprah appearance, where the duchess made a series of fierce revelations about the Royal Family.
One troll even told Sarah that Meghan is “the most hated woman in the world” and she “deserves the same abuse”.
Sarah said her sympathy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has grown since watching the emotional interview, and she hopes they can repair their relationship with the royal family.
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey of conversations with Prince Harry and a “family” member about their unborn son and what colour his skin would be – and “what that would mean or look like”.
Meghan also revealed in the interview that she had suicidal thoughts while working as a senior royal.
The Duchess said she begged for help from the Firm after struggling with her mental health – saying it was her husband who “saved” her.
Sarah previously told Fabulous how she got into being a lookalike, and said: “Several friends shared photos of me on Facebook, tagging me and saying how much I looked like Meghan, and then I received hundreds of messages on Facebook from people from all over the world telling me I looked like her.
“While I’m not mixed race like Meghan, I do have Spanish ancestry. Jabzz is African and our children, Josiah and Mimi-Rae, are mixed race and I was excited that the UK might see its first mixed-race princess.
“I was already working as an actress on Hollyoaks and The Only Way Is Essex, so when my agent advised me to work as a lookalike, I decided to give it a go.
“I became good friends with one Prince Harry impersonator, Henry Morley and our families even went on holiday together to Wales in October 2018.
“Every six months, I’ve had new hair extensions to make my hair look as thick as Meghan’s. I get my Meghan outfits from Dorothy Perkins and was lucky enough to have been gifted a gorgeous replica of her wedding ring.”
We shared how another Meghan Markle lookalike is constantly mistaken for the royal with people calling them ‘twins’.
And a Prince Harry lookalike cashes in on Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview fallout by flogging personal messages for £112.
