Bianca Coster opens up about financial loss of Chris Excel using her picture

Social media content creator and actress Bianca Coster has again spoken about the implications of her face being used by the controversial X account Chris Excel.

The X account, which has 3.3-million followers, uses Coster's pictures to impersonate her while making derogatory remarks about people.

In a TikTok video, Coster said that besides the backlash she has faced, there has been a financial knock to her career.

“I used to work with phenomenal brands like Vaseline, MTN and Darling Hair. I was doing television adverts; I had a lot going on for me before Chris Excel used my picture, and after he used that picture, things just started declining,” she said.

“Why couldn't he use another picture? Why should I constantly shift and change my life to accommodate this Chris Excel person? He could have used any other picture. He could have used a picture of a plant, but he decided to use my picture, knowing the implications of that. If he thought this was just innocent, he could have used his picture. But he knows the backlash that would come with the things he says and the stuff he does, so he decided to use my picture. Now I am receiving all that backlash.”

She explained how she constantly has to explain herself to brands and people who recognise her face in public.

“This thing is after me. It's hovering over me. I can't get away from it, and still you guys come on my comments, insult me, and call me all sorts of names as if I deserve this. I don't know what I did. All I ask is for my picture to please not be used, respectfully and gracefully.”

While others assume that her familiar face has brought more opportunities for her, she said she does not benefit from it; instead, she has lost a lot.

“There's no benefit to him using my picture. He's actually tarnished my image, and it's harder for me.”

In an interview with eNCA, legal expert Ulrich Roux said Coster could get a court order to stop Chris Excel from using her pictures.

“This is a form of cyberbullying; it is an infringement of the Cyber Crimes Act, and it’s also a form of harassment. She is well within her rights to obtain interdictory relief against both X and Chris Excel. While that is easier said than done, as the identity of Chris Excel is unknown, one can obtain specialists or forensic specialists to obtain the IP addresses and locations from where he runs the account. Once that is done, one can obtain interdictory relief in the high court.”