Alexa Chung has made her Instagram account private after being subjected to a barrage of abuse about her slim frame.

The 28-year-old TV presenter posted a picture of herself on the photo-sharing site wearing a short denim dress with bare legs and ballet flats, stood next to her mother. But users quickly laid into her naturally slight figure, labeling her "too skinny" and accusing her of being anorexic.

"I'm going to be very honest. I look at this picture and think 'This is a woman not eating.' Thus, I worry for women everywhere," one wrote.

Another responded to some fans' compliments about her legs with, "THIS degree of skinny is frankly alarming, sadly. It is equally alarming that people ENVY this degree ... as it is NOT a healthy degree of underweight. Certainly, they shouldn't want to be like this."

At first Alexa just hit back with a restrained "Hi, I am here. I can read," but after another two hours of insults she announced, "OK everyone, thanks for the teen angst discussions. People are different sizes. I'm not actively trying to be a thinspo for anyone. I am now making this acct private. Byeeeeeeee."

The fashionista has previously denied being a so-called "thinspiration" for young girls, and even left Twitter over comments about her weight. "It angers me because I don't want to be a pinup for young girls just for being thin. I don't want to be admired for being thin as opposed for being dressed well - and I don't want the two to get confused."