I often feel embarrassed on flights and people refuse to sit next to me because I'm so big – one woman even gave me bruises as we fought over the armrest

A plus-size woman has revealed she gets fat while feeling embarrassed on flights and people refuse to sit next to her.

Kirsty Leanne, 30, from Shropshire, regularly shares travel advice for larger people and has built a following of 129,000 people on her TikTok @kirstyleannetravels.

She previously made headlines after revealing the trolls she receives online – with critics insisting she should lose weight instead of complaining about the problems she faces while traveling as a plus-size person.

Although much of the criticism she receives comes online, Kirsty shared some disturbing experiences she had in real life.

One such encounter took place during a flight to Spain, where the travel enthusiast sat in the window seat and another woman was assigned the middle seat on her aisle.

'When she saw me sitting in front of the window she immediately made it clear that she didn't want to sit there and started huffing and puffing,' says Kirsty, who shares her tips on her blog Plus Size Travel Too.

'I apologized that there wasn't much room and she didn't answer, so I did my usual thing and pressed myself against the window.

'The entire flight she pushed the armrest down as far as it would go – it was 98 percent down, but that last 2 percent was super painful – which left me with bruises.

'Finally she turned to her friend a few rows back [and said]”I can't sit next to her anymore.”

“I pretended not to hear, but I wanted the ground to swallow me.”

Kirsty found the experience incredibly uncomfortable and chose to remain silent at the time, but says she won't let it slide any longer.

She said: 'I tend to ask flight attendants if I can now move to a seat with more space and an extra seat next to it, to help prevent this from happening and to ensure everyone is as comfortable as possible.

“I often have to sit next to people while they find me a seat, so I do my best to be kind and understanding, hoping they come back with the same feelings.”

The traveler also says that she often notices when someone is uncomfortable sitting near her.

She added: 'People usually express their unhappiness quite immediately.

'Most people are super friendly and understanding, but some people use it as an excuse to be mean and lash out.

“While I understand it's uncomfortable, acting this way is unnecessary and probably the worst way to reach a resolution.”

Kirsty shared the experience with her followers in a TikTok that racked up thousands of likes and comments – with many viewers defending the passenger.

One user said: 'I understand what you're saying, but the seats aren't 'a bit small'. I don't understand how this isn't your fault.'

“There should be a size limit after which it should be mandatory to reserve two seats, otherwise it's just not fair to the person next to you,” another viewer agreed.

Someone else commented: 'I can't blame the other lady.'

But other viewers were more sympathetic to Kirsty.

One said: 'You don't have to apologize for your existence!!!!!'

“For those who say it's her fault – EVEN IF IT WAS – what should she do at that point? Making her feel worthless doesn't give you more space,” said another viewer.

Someone else added: 'We are all built differently and if someone can't be polite and friendly for a few hours I feel sorry for humanity. You are an inspiration.'