Monica Lewinsky discusses ‘avalanche of pain’ she felt following Clinton affair

‘It was really hard to hold onto a shred of dignity or self-esteem’

Monica Lewinsky has opened up about the "avalanche of pain" she felt when she was publicly shamed following her affair with Bill Clinton.

In 1995, Lewinsky began working as an unpaid intern at the White House aged 21.

Following months of what Lewinsky has previously described as "flirtatious encounters" between the pair, their relationship later became sexual, as revealed in 1998.

Despite Clinton's initial claims that the affair never occurred, Lewinsky received vitriol from the press and the public due to the controversy.

"At 24 years old, it was really hard to hold onto a shred of dignity or self-esteem when you know you're the butt of so many jokes," Lewinsky told talk show host John Oliver on his programme Last Week Tonight on Sunday.

When asked by Oliver how she coped with "one of the worst Internet-fuelled public shamings of all time", Lewinsky admitted that in retrospect, she doesn't know.

"It was a s*** storm," she added.

Lewinsky, who now works as an activist raising awareness about cyberbullying, explained that she received numerous derogatory comments about her appearance amid the scandal.

“Part of my vanity now comes from the wounds of having been made fun of for my weight, people saying I was unattractive,” she said.

While Lewinsky acknowledged that she made "terrible mistakes" and said "stupid things", she explained to Oliver how the aftermath of the scandal made it difficult for her to find employment.

"There was this wide range of not being able to support myself and also have a purpose, which is equally important to feel that you matter in some way," the 45-year-old stated.

During the interview, Oliver publicly criticised television host Jay Leno for making jokes about Lewinsky, saying, "These jokes have not dated well in any sense of the word."

The pair went on to speak about the increased prevalence of bullying due to the growth of social media.

“I think with the advent of the Internet and, of course, social media, we now have situations where it’s exacerbated beyond what I think anyone could have imagined initially,” Lewinsky noted.

“And the anonymity that comes with that, that sort of unleased these whole new personas for people.”