A Meghan Markly lookalike who earns up to £300 for every appearance is considering quitting her job after being targeted by online trolls.
Sarah Mhlanga, 38, who can earn up to £300 per booking, revealed she had received "hurtful" abuse in the wake of the Duchess of Sussex's controversial interview with chat show icon Oprah Winfrey.
The married mum-of-two, who lives in the northwest of England, said trolls were "using her as a punchbag" in light of Meghan "waging war" on the Royal Family during the bombshell TV chat.
Despite being unable to work during the coronavirus lockdown, Sarah fears her once blossoming career could be cut short as the former Suits actress's popularity in the UK continues to nosedive.
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"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," Sarah told Closer magazine.
"I get messages saying I'm attention-seeking and that I should be ashamed to represent Meghan. It's so hurtful."
She added: "I love Meghan, but now, after this interview, I'm worried people won't want to hire me."
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Sarah began receiving vicious messages soon after Meghan and her husband Prince Harry said they were quitting royal duties in January last year.
But she said the hatred has intensified since the two-hour tell-all interview with Oprah, in which Meghan accusing an unnamed royal of racism and "perpetuating falsehoods" about her and Harry.
One troll even told her to quit her job because Meghan is now "the most hated woman in the world" and that she "deserves the same abuse" because she mimics her.
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Since becoming a Markle lookalike in 2017, Sarah's role had been a huge success until the lockdown restrictions began in March last year.
"In the run-up to the royal wedding I was doing one or two Meghan bookings a week and the phone was ringing off the hook to the extent that I was thinking about giving up my day job," she said.
"I've got a wardrobe full of 'Meghan' clothes and I've studied footage so I can incorporate her facial expressions and the little tics she has – like playing with her hair – into whatever I'm doing. I've been told I'm the No 1 Meghan lookalike in the UK."
The need to social distance and a ban on public gatherings meant Sarah could no longer take bookings.
However, Sarah admitted she could relate to Meghan's views on racism because she also has children of mixed-race heritage who have been bullied because of their colour.
"She's been through such a huge ordeal and it was time she had her voice heard," she told Closer.
Sarah added that she supported Meghan and hoped the couple, who now live in the US with son Archie, can settle their differences with the royals in future.
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