I won't put my relationships online again, says Lilly Sabri

"Be mindful about what you're sharing, because once it's online, it's online forever," says Lilly Sabri.

The fitness influencer, who has six million followers on YouTube, has urged fans to heed her words as she plans to return to Instagram after a long absence.

Two years ago she was living her dream, running two successful businesses helped by her explosion in popularity during the Covid lockdowns.

But the physiotherapist went silent on Instagram in 2023 when a popular gossip podcast shared a story about a man who had allegedly cheated on his well-known fiancée - with enough clues to suggest the man in question was her then partner.

She woke to find "thousands" of notifications from social media and messaging apps as seemingly the whole world wanted to know whether there was truth behind the rumours.

Lilly was watching the life she knew fall apart in real time.

Up until the gossip podcast launched, Lilly had been open about her life online.

And she accepted there may have "potentially" been less interest in her relationship had she shared less on social media.

"I truly don't know the answer to that," she said.

"I think when I compare to some other people, I didn't show a lot of my lifestyle.

"But it was clearly enough for people to put two and two together."

Lilly acknowledged she had shared snapshots about herself to help build her brand - to draw in those who wanted to know more about her - and for a long time it was a successful strategy.

While she maintained some boundaries such as not revealing information about her family, she said there was always an unspoken pressure to share more.

"I've learned people will constantly want more the more you give," she said.

"If it's just showing your dog, or sharing your relationship, it's like 'okay, what else, now show the house'.

"It can lead to a lot of exposure because you're chasing likes or you feel that's what your customers want."

Nearly eighteen months after her most recent post, Lilly is in a different headspace.

Her business - the workout videos and a nutrition app - are thriving and she feels ready to return to her personal Instagram account - but with a very different set of rules this time around.

"I'm not going to be showing my personal relationships, I've been too scarred, and I can't do it again," she said.