WHEN Maxine McCarthy posted an extravagant baby gender reveal on Instagram, it was meant to be a cute post for family and friends.

But it unleashed more than two years of hell from internet trolls who the 43-year-old says have ruined her pregnancy, turned up at her mansion and even set up a Facebook page full of memes aimed at her newborn baby.

Maxine claims she has spent £26,000 on lawyers to send warning letters to the trolls, but says social media giants have done nothing to help her.

She said: “If I could go back in time I’d never have shared any aspect of my private life. It’s been an absolute nightmare.”

Maxine was thrilled when she fell pregnant aged 41 with son Roman, now 18 months.

The ex-pro boxer, who runs an aesthetics training business, organised a gender reveal for family members and close pals and spent £10,000 on a small plane to carry the banner ‘It’s a boy’ over her house in Cheshire.

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Blue smoke was also filmed pouring from the back of her Ferrari as Baby Love by the Supremes played in the background.

But the happy moments were ridiculed on social media and trolls soon set up a Facebook page – seen by The Sun – which mocked Maxine’s pregnancy and made vile claims about her partner James Davenport’s background.

The couple allege the trolling has made them a target for “idiots” who have alarmingly turned up at their home – urinating next to a fence and setting a bush alight.

They say the keyboard bullies have also called local restaurants and businesses around their home to inform them James was once a drug addict.

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James, 46, has never hidden his history of addiction, writing a book and running a successful online mental health project during lockdown after turning his life around in 2017.

Maxine, who set up her firm Cosmetic Couture in 2009, said: “I think these people are insanely jealous and have nothing better to do.

“I’ve always been a really private person but when I met James and got pregnant I was so excited to be pregnant at 41 so went all out for the gender reveal.

“Although we spent £10,000 on a plane, we didn’t have a big party. It was just for family and people who were close to us.

“Within six or seven weeks people on social media were asking mean things like ‘whose baby is it?'

“Since then things have just got worse. They have been calls to restaurants we frequent to tell them about James’ previous problems which is just ridiculous.

“We also caught someone urinating next to our gates and another person quite deliberately setting a bush alight on our CCTV.”

Maxine, who built up her company to become one of the largest providers of aesthetics training in the UK, says she even hired a solicitor to warn the trolls.

She said of the legal warnings: “They sent desist letters to those involved but unless they physically do something you might as well throw your money up against the wall. Everything we've done is just ignored.

“While I’m busy building up a business these people are sitting obsessing about my life and that’s really scary.

“After Roman was born my hormones went crashing down and this behaviour really impacted me. I’m a really strong woman but I started to feel really low. 

“These people stole my pregnancy and I don’t even know them.”

Cruel memes

Maxine says she has complained to Facebook and Instagram about messages and cruel memes and has also been in touch with Cheshire Police.

She said: “I could come off social media but it’s how I market my business.

“I’m naturally a very private person and have worked hard to keep things that way, but I run a multi-million pound company and part of that involves building a profile, particularly in my line of work.

“I just wish looking back I’d never given away anything about my personal life.  I just want all this to stop.”

Cheshire Police confirmed they have investigated and that part of their enquiry had moved to Kent Police.

A spokesman for Kent constabulary said: "We received a report that over 18 months up to 28 June 2022, two victims from Cheshire were harassed online by a person posting offensive messages.

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"Enquiries have commenced into the allegations in liaison with Cheshire Police.

"A 52-year-old man from Sittingbourne was arrested on 13 November in connection with the incidents and was bailed pending further investigation."

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