A Taylor Swift lookalike has hit out at the star’s fanbase for branding her ‘pathological liar’ and even accused her of having plastic surgery.
Ashley Leechin, 29, from Nashville, Tennessee, first became a fan of the then-country music singer in 2006 following the release of her single ‘Tim McGraw’.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the married mother-of-two, who works as a nurse, explained how she’s been mistaken for Taylor Swift since the age of 13.
But after joining TikTok in 2020, Ashley says her videos were quickly inundated with comments from viewers comparing her to Taylor.
Since then, the social media star has amassed over 1.1m followers and has posted videos recreating some of Taylor’s most famous outfits – including the bodysuit from her recent Bejeweled music video.
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Ashley Leechin, 29, from Nashville, has amassed over 1.1m TikTok followers thanks to her videos where she dresses up as Taylor Swift
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Ashley recently recreated the bodysuit (pictured) from Taylor Swift’s Bejeweled music video last year
However, the mother-of-two found herself on the receiving end of the ‘Swiftie”s wrath earlier this month when she posted a video announcing she would be attending the Grammys after being invited by Sweety High.
But after paying thousands to travel to Los Angeles, Ashley claims the media company rescinded their offer as her plane landed.
As a result, the TikTok star says she’s been trolled by some of Taylor Swift’s fans – who have branded her a ‘pathological liar’.
Along with accusing her of having plastic surgery to look like the singer, some ‘Swifties’ accused Ashley of ‘stealing’ Taylor’s favourite number by putting ’13’ in her username.
What’s more, some trolls have also taken issue with Ashley adopting cats that ‘look exactly the same as Taylor’s cats’ and her love of the show Grey’s Anatomy, which the pop sensation is also a fan of.
Discussing the wave of online abuse, Ashley told Rolling Stone: ‘A lot of the Swifties I have encountered don’t stand by what Taylor Swift stands by.
‘Randomly bullying [someone] — I feel like Taylor Swift wouldn’t condone that type of behavior.’
As a result of the trolling, Ashley has now made an anti-bullying petition on Change.org where she addressed some of the most common criticism leveraged at her.
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Ashley pictured in 2021 in an outfit inspired by Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) album cover
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Pictured: the 2021 Red (Taylor’s Version) album cover Ashley recreated on Instagram
Hitting back at the claim she ‘lives like Taylor Swift’, Ashley wrote: ‘I have two children, a husband, a cat family & I am a licensed Registered Nurse who makes content on social media as well as pursuing an acting career. I do not aspire to write music, sing or play a musical instrument.’
Addressing the cosmetic work she has had done, Ashley insisted her intention was not to look more like the pop star.
She explained: ‘I have corrected my smile and my bite after I was in a viral music video in which I was bullied for my teeth. My teeth are not “exactly the same” as Taylor’s. I have had plans to change my smile for a long time since I was bullied as a child.
‘I have since gotten a small amount of filler under my cheekbone to fill some fat loss pads and I have received 28 units of Botox by an aesthetician in my forehead.
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‘I have also experimented with filler in the past for a film/music video and have since dissolved them completely as I went 18+ months without re-filling. The claims for why my eyes are wider are because I drink water & don’t starve myself like I did prior. I have never had a brow lift.’
What’s more, viewers have also speculated that Ashley voted for former President Donald Trump in past elections.
Refuting this claim, she added: ‘I am a (from 2019) registered Democrat (from my most recent card) who turned Independent (respectfully, it’s none of your business in general but I have chosen to be open to stop false accusations).’
Although Ashley says she has accepted work as a Taylor Swift impersonator in the past, she now prefers to pay tribute to the star on social media.
She told the publication: ‘If I wanted to be a full time Taylor Swift impersonator I could actually make a career out of it. But I have chosen not to. I just feel like it’s not me.’
Ahead of Taylor’s Midnights album release last November, the star commented on one of Ashley’s videos: ‘My mom just saw this and said, “she looks like you”.’
