Gabby Douglas on Cyberbullying: 'I Would Literally Cry My Eyes Out'

Gabby Douglas is getting real with fans about her experience getting cyberbullied during the Olympics – both of them.

The Olympic gymnast has received criticism for everything from not putting her hand over her heart during the American National Anthem, to not smiling enough, to her hair.

“It got very, very bad because I never experienced anything like that,” Gabby told Sports Illustrated about a moment from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. “I mean in [the 2012 Olympics], they talked about my hair and yet again they still talked about my hair in Rio. I don’t know people cared about my hair. … And I remember just going back to the village and I would literally cry my eyes out.”

“I stayed off social media until after team finals, when I Googled myself � which I probably shouldn’t have done,” she explained to People. “I wonder how many times I cried. Probably enough to fill so many gallons of water. And it would be like, deep, emotional cries because I was so hurt.”

Gabby has come a long way from letting the haters get to her, though – she is now Hack Harassment’s first-ever Change Ambassador.

Pictured: Gabby hosting a special screening of Fences at Regal E-Walk Stadium 13 on Wednesday (December 21) in New York City.

Click inside to read Gabby’s advice to fans…

“Stand up for yourself,” she shared. “Stay strong and don’t listen to the lies, because they really are lies. They just try to get you down, and something must be going on in their lives. Never lose sight of how important you are.”