TV traffic reporter Leslie Horton developed a thick skin over the years because of nasty feedback from viewers, but she unleashed a viral smackdown last week after she says one of them 鈥渃rossed my line.鈥�

The usually unflappable host, who has been at Global Calgary since 1995, was about to give a live report on the morning show when she decided to read out a message she received during a break.

鈥淚鈥檓 just gonna respond to an email that I just got saying, 鈥楥ongratulations on your pregnancy. If you鈥檙e gonna wear old bus-driver pants, you have to expect emails like this,鈥欌�� Horton said.

鈥淪o thanks for that,鈥� she responded.

鈥淣o, I鈥檓 not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year. And this is what women of my age look like. So if it is offensive to you, that is unfortunate.

鈥淭hink about the emails that you send.鈥�

Horton, 59, said she has been getting 鈥渘asty鈥� messages for the last four years from the same man, who is 鈥渃learly not a fan and that鈥檚 fine,鈥� she told The Canadian Press in an interview Thursday.

She had been ignoring them, she said, because women in broadcasting get a lot of unkind messages.

But Horton, who talked openly about her cancer diagnosis when she took a break from work in January 2022, said the pregnancy comment seemed targeted.

鈥淚 found this particular message aimed directly at shaming me, humiliating me and embarrassing me and making me feel bad about myself,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 just thought, you can send me your critiques, you can send me some nasty messages, but you do not get to speak to me inappropriately. And that had crossed my line.

鈥淪o I said some words. Apparently they were coherent. And I finished my traffic report and I walked away.鈥�

Horton, a one-time cheerleader for the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League, said she had not planned to respond to the message.

鈥淭he (words) just came out of my mouth and they came from deep within my spirit.鈥�

After, she said, she was shaking.

鈥淚t was a combination of the realization that someone was trying so hard to hurt me. You don鈥檛 have to tell me I have a belly, emailer. I know I have a belly. And guess what? Grey hairs and wrinkles, too,鈥� she said.

Horton said her response seems to have struck a chord with other women in media and women of the same age.

Video of her response has been making the rounds on social media, with widespread praise and support.

Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis shared it on Instagram. 鈥淭his news anchor was body-shamed by a viewer,鈥� said text placed over the video post.

Fellow American actress Michelle Pfeiffer, in response to Curtis, wrote 鈥淏ravo鈥� with several clapping hand emojis.

Horton said she appreciates strong women role models coming to her defence and suggesting people need to think about how they talk to each other.

鈥淚 am no spokesperson for women around the world,鈥� added Horton. 鈥淚 am a mom who lives in Calgary and is lucky enough to live out her passion, working five hours of live TV a day.鈥�

Horton said she turns 60 in March and intends to have a month-long celebration.

鈥淥nce a doctor has opened the door of a room, walked in and said, 鈥業t鈥檚 cancer,鈥� life as you know it is done. That tends to leave you with an attitude of gratitude,鈥� Horton said.

鈥淪o 60? I鈥檓 still green side up. So yeah, we鈥檙e going to celebrate the wrinkles.鈥�

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