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Former X Factor winner Joe McElderry put online bullies firmly in their place as he clapped back at weight jibes. The singer took to social media to slam those who said he was piling on the weight. And in a photo upload, Joe, 34, proved they don't know what they ware talking about. Not prepared to let the hurtful comments slide, Joe shared a topless snap on his Instagram to prove the trolls wrong. He revealed he had been targeted for his appearance by an online user who said he looked "like a house end". The terminology is used in Joe's native north east to describe a heavier person. He wrote: "Woke up this morning to a comment saying I’m 'like a house end' (for those not from the North… that’s basically calling me fat). Honestly, social media is wild isn’t it?! The things people think they can say about other people." Joe went on to joke he "did what any self-respecting person would do… threw on my sparkly sequin trousers, said 'f the haters,' and went off to finish a pretty much sold out tour". After proudly showcasing his physique, he added: "Honestly, we’ve normalised saying horrible things and doing horrible things to each other — it’s not normal to behave that way! So this is just a reminder to never let the keyboard warriors get ya down." His comments were met with support from his followers. One pal who praised his post was actress Hayley Soraya, who wrote: "They obviously don’t know how to spell FIT." Another said: "Hate attracts hate for yourself, love attracts love for yourself, it's that simple. Well done on your self-confidence, so that bad comments don't put you down. Keep the faith, Joe, your sold-out shows and love from your supporters are showing the truth: you are fabulous in and out!" Joe, who was crowned the winner of the ITV talent show in 2009 - beating Olly Murs to the title - recently revealed to the Mirror the surprise moment a goldfish was thrown at him during a festival performance. He explained how he initially thought it was a football. Speaking of the bizarre moment, he said: "Years ago, I was doing a concert in Ireland. And it was a big outdoor festival, and I thought somebody threw a football, like, at the stage, because this big kind of football-looking thing came flying over and landed next to the other side of the stage where I was. "It was actually somebody had won a goldfish and decided to throw the goldfish in a bag at the stage. And it was just a goldfish in a bag on the stage. The poor thing did manage to survive it. But I think one of the security team or something took it home to try to look after it." Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
