A Colchester food blogger has spoken out in a bid to break the taboo on not having friends.

Becky Excell, a gluten-free cook and author, said she had seen an outpouring of support since telling her followers she’s not had a friend since 2009.

The social media star opened up during a question and answer session on her Instagram page about her friendship circle.

It has since seen her appear on TV and radio to discuss the topic.

In an interview on BCC 5 Live with Naga Munchetty she admitted many people felt embarrassed to speak about it.

She said: "I’ve done all the things people say so often, like join a club or make a hobby and I have done that.

"People think that is easy and that will result in me having friends but it is really not like that. You don’t go to a club and suddenly everyone is there wanting to be your friend.

"You might enjoy the thing that you are doing but there [may] already [be a] clique group there. I have always felt with everything I have done that I have always been on the outside of a circle trying to push my way in but never quite getting into that circle and that has happened time and time again.

"It is not a case of not wanting friends, I would love some friends and I have really tried throughout my whole adult life, university, work and in offices but it has never worked for me."

Becky said the response had shown many people were in the same position.

She added: "I feel like I am very socially aware of everything and I get stuff but I don’t know what it is. If I did know then I would have friends.

"I think it is probably just a case of loads of little things going together which have made me be this I guess Billy No Mates.

"So many people are in exactly that same position as me.

"I put myself out there on the internet a lot talking about food and recipes and I get a lot of response from that but I got even more – the most response I have ever had in my entire life – just saying I have got no friends."

Becky believes lockdown has made people asses their friendship circles.

She added: "The amount of people who say me too or said that in lockdown I suddenly realised I thought I had friends but now with lockdown I have come to realise maybe I don’t or they weren’t as close as friends as I thought.

"It is something we don’t like to talk about and is bit of a taboo subject to say I don’t have any friends.

"But if we all thought about it a bit more and then maybe it would be less embarrassing or strange to talk about. It is not as strange as you think."