SHE has been at the centre of a media frenzy after sparking a nationwide debate about wolf-whistling.

Poppy Smart, 23, of Worcester, has featured on the front pages of the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, been interviewed on radio and had her story discussed on ITV’s Loose Women.

The publicity has been “stressful” and led to sleepless nights for the marketing co-ordinator, who describes herself as a “recluse” with anxiety issues.

But she has now attempted to draw a line in the sand and put an end to the press interest by publishing her “final word” online.

In the 1,500-word open letter she states she “never intended” to be in the spotlight and blamed “the power of the internet” for the story going viral.

She simply expected her complaint to police about lecherous men on a building site to be a “little article” in the Worcester News and was shocked and surprised when it “blew up”.

By Monday morning (April 27) she had been “inundated” with phone calls and messages on social media sites, but wanted to be private and get on with her work.

“There was a massive earthquake in Nepal”, she added in the letter.

“That’s news. That’s awful. And now I’m going be that person who appears to think they’re worse off than all those Nepalese people.”

She did however agree to a photo shoot in order to “control” the images being used in the media, rather than having her Facebook or Twitter pictures splashed everywhere, and gave an interview to the BBC.

Yet her moment in the limelight did not pass.

On Tuesday (April 28) she was again “bombarded” with offers from television shows and newspapers – with some offering cash incentives to appear.

But she declined all of these, opting instead for a solitary BBC interview – an approach which would “draw a line under this whole experience and [enable me to] get on with my life”.

The marketing coordinator however is far from backing down in the row over wolf-whistling and stands by her original argument.

She wrote: “If someone is harassing you, you are well within your rights to do something about it.

“I’d had enough after a month and I’d invite you all to imagine how you would feel being shouted and whistled at every single day for a month. You’d probably get annoyed. You may choose to lash out and swear at them. But again this isn’t me.

“If you don’t mind being catcalled or whistled at, that’s fine

“Each to their own and I don’t judge you for that – despite how many of you have judged me.

“As a closing statement I’d like to make a comparison that maybe will make the situation more clear.

“I wouldn’t put up with harassment in my workplace – I’d tell my boss. I wouldn’t put up with someone on the other side of a restaurant shouting over at me whilst I was trying to have some food with my family - I’d ask the staff to ask them to stop.

“So why should I put up with it in the street every day?

Ms Smart also uses the letter to outline her background.

She describes herself as an “introvert” who suffers with anxiety and has “been through some stuff and all that”.

Her hobbies are detailed as playing Xbox, watching movies, eating pizza and reading, as well as running and yoga to help cope with her anxiety.

And she states that, despite a “fantastic” relationship with her mother, she has supported herself since the age of 16 and is “pretty proud” of this achievement.

She also refutes being a man-hater or “feminazi”, as some have claimed, explaining “I have lots lots of male friends as well as female and I definitely don’t tar everyone of the same gender with the same brush”.

To read the full letter visit counterproductiverubbish.wordpress.com