Remember Monica Lewinsky? The former White House intern who became world famous almost overnight, for her ‘closeness’ with then President of the United States, Bill Clinton? Well, we bet you do! She is again in news, and this time for breaking her silence. At a TED conference in Canada recently, she has accepted in a candid manner that she was in love with her boss at the age of 22 only to realise its devastating consequences at 24.

Speaking at the at the TED conference, held in Vancouver on Thursday, the now 41-year-old has given a powerful speech about the devastating effects of online harassment, describing her own experience as a “patient zero,” losing her reputation on a global scale almost instantly. She also gave examples of recent incidences, including Jennifer Lawrence’s nude photo leaks and the Sony hacking scandal.

She said, the incident that happened to her 17 years ago had no name for it back then. But now it's called cyberbullying. "It was the first time traditional news was usurped by the Internet, a click that reverberated around the whole world," Ms. Lewinsky added.

While talking about the infamous affair with the former U.S. President, she lamented, in 1995, the affair lasted on and off for two years, and at that time, it was everything for her. She called it the “golden bubble part” for her. She later said, the nasty part started after it became public with a vengeance.

Ms. Lewinsky, who has rarely spoken publicly in the last 17 years, since the scandal broke up, said people whom she didn’t even know have attacked her online. But it was the compassion shown by family, friends and sometimes strangers that have helped her overcome the emotional trauma during those days.

She added, life was almost unbearable for her, she was branded as a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo and of course "that woman."

Last but not the least, she said, "anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it's hard. It may not be painless, quick or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story."

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