London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2025

Tracy Beaker: Actress Dani Harmer trolled online with 'fat' comments

Tracy Beaker: Actress Dani Harmer trolled online with 'fat' comments

As Tracy Beaker, Dani Harmer has played one of the most iconic roles in children's TV for nearly two decades.

CBBC says her most recent three-part series, My Mum Tracy Beaker, has been its most successful programme launch ever.

But Dani says abusive online comments she's received about her appearance has taken some of the shine off its success.

"It shouldn't affect me but I'm a human being," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Although she says the overwhelming majority of opinions have been positive, a small minority are "horrible" and are the ones she thinks about when she goes to bed.

"I am an actor and I'm used to criticism. But that doesn't mean a random person can sit behind their keyboard and let me know that I'm fat."

Dani was 13 when she debuted as Tracy Beaker in 2002, at a time when social media barely existed.

"I was so lucky because I don't know if my skin would have been thick enough to have dealt with it back then."

She's urging people to be kinder on social platforms and says it's taken her a long time to find her voice and "speak up things I don't agree with".

"Social media should be such a positive place but at the moment I don't want to even open my phone. I've just got such bad anxiety that someone's going to say something.

"Life is hard enough as it is. Let's spread some positivity and not make it harder for each other. We don't want a repeat of what happened to Caroline Flack. She was such a lovely woman."

She understands that sometimes people are "trying to get a rise" out of her but it's hard "not to respond back".

"I'm 32 now. I can't even imagine what younger people have to go through."

Although if we're talking about Tracy, you can imagine the two words she'd say to those people: "BOG OFF."

Justine Littlewood (Montanna Thompson, left) comes face-to-face with Tracy again

In the latest series, Tracy's 10-year-old daughter Jess deals with the arrival of her mum's new boyfriend Sean, played by Jordan Duvigneau.

Dani's now a parent herself and admits that although it completely changes you as a person you "really don't lose your true self".

"I knew I wanted to keep Tracy exactly how she was but I also wanted to show she had matured and was being less selfish.

"Since I've been doing this, it's always been nice to have a strong female character on kids' TV. She's bossy, sassy and knows exactly what she wants."

The fans also went into overdrive when she came face to face with her old nemesis from the foster home Justine Littlewood, played by Montanna Thompson.

The BBC says on iPlayer, My Mum Tracy Beaker was streamed 2.1m times in its first three days of availability (12-14 February).

"I never expected those numbers," says Dani.

"I've been so overwhelmed I can barely speak."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
×