A Meghan Markle lookalike who earns around $400 for every appearance posing is considering quitting her job after being targeted by online trolls following the Duchess' explosive Oprah Winfrey interview. Sarah Mhlanga, 38, claims that she has been subject to "hurtful" trolling from people "using her as a punchbag" to vent their anger at Meghan, 39, following her and Harry's recent interview.
Meghan and Prince Harry's explosive interview to Winfrey has left the world divided, with many now slamming the Duchess of Sussex of making false claims against UK's royal family. However, Mhlanga seems to have become the innocent victim of the situation and the only reason behind it is that she looks like Meghan.
Unlucky Lookalike
Mhlanga, who lives in North West England with her husband, Jabu, 40, and their children, Josiah, 10, and Mimi-Raie, eight, said that ever since the interview aired, she has been subject to "hurtful" trolls, with people slamming her for being Meghan's lookalike.
"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.
Mhlanga said that she fails to understand why she is being targeted. She is a Meghan lookalike and making some money by posing as her at shows and she is proud of her job. "I get messages saying I'm attention-seeking and that I should be ashamed to represent Meghan. It's so hurtful," she said of the messages she has been receiving over the past week.
Despite being unable to work during the coronavirus lockdown, Sarah fears her once blossoming career could be now be cut short as the former Meghan's popularity in the UK has nosedived over the past couple of weeks.
The hate massages impacted her so much that she is also contemplating quitting as she fears that she might soon run out of work. "I love Meghan, but now, after this interview, I'm worried people won't want to hire me," she told the outlet.
Victim of Circumstances
Mhlanga noticed that she has a stark resemblance to Meghan and became her lookalike in 2017. Since then she has become a hit with the British public but now she is also paying the price for that.
Mhlanga was quite happy posing as Meghan's lookalike until the lockdown restrictions began in March last year. But just before she was thinking of resuming work Meghan and Prince Harry came up with the explosive interview. In the interview the couple accused an unnamed member of the Royal Family of racism, while Meghan said she was given little support by the Palace that led her to have suicidal thoughts.
But Mhlanga became a victim of all these conversation. She said that it "baffles" her that people can feel such venom towards a person they've never even met, and worries she'll now be "forced out" of her job.
However, this isn't the first time she has been subject to such trolls. She started receiving hate messages and was trolled soon after Meghan and Harry said they were quitting royal duties in January last year. But this time things have only intensified. She said 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.
That said, Mhlanga continues to admire Meghan and said she got emotional watching the interview. "She's been through such a huge ordeal and it was time she had her voice heard," she told the outlet. Despite the abuse she receives on social media, Mhlanga said she will continue to stand by and support Meghan and hopes the royal rift can be mended.
