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When Cherie Jimenez stepped into the role of Days of Our Lives’ Gabi Hernandez back in June, she was taking over a role that had been played by the same actress for 13 years. That’s not easy for anyone to tackle, and over the years, the fans had come to love Camila Banus’ take on Gabi.

When we spoke to Jimenez back before she’d started airing, she was full of hope, but not unaware of the challenges she faced in being a recast. “I understand that it’s not gonna be easy,” she told us, “but I really hope that people fall in love with my interpretation of Gabi, and just know that I’m doing my absolute best and I’m giving it my all.”

And as much as she had respect for her predecessor and wanted to do her and the character justice, Jimenez also — as every actor does — put her own spin on the character.

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“Camila played this role for 13 years,” she shared. “This is her baby. She brought a lot of who she is into this character. The biggest thing is that I want to do justice and remain in the same realm of who Gabi Hernandez is, but also, I am my own person. And so at the end of the day, I’m going to bring to it parts of who I am as well.”

But sometimes fandom can be downright toxic, and though Jimenez had been happily filming for months by the time she aired and couldn’t have been happier with those she worked with, she wasn’t ready for the hate poured her way as Gabi returned to our screens. The actress spoke with Woman’s World about the experience that no one should be put through.

“I cried a bunch in the beginning,” Jimenez shared bluntly with Woman’s World. “The fanbase was basically bullying me. People miss Camila, and even though I tried to bring elements of her to the role, I’m not Camila.” She wasn’t just getting attacked and ripped apart online or in comments, but people were going out of their way and “reaching out to do it. It really hurt.”

It was a rough start and we wish we could say that that hate had gone away, but while it sounds like it’s lessened, it’s something that Jimenez still has to endure. But that will not stop her.

“Bullying is not okay, in any form,” she emphatically told Woman’s World. “And I choose to change the narrative and what I acknowledge. My life is very full. I’m blessed. I’m so thankful.”

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And on top of that, she rightfully added, “I’m also proud of my work. My producers and bosses let me know that I have exceeded their expectations, and now, I have some fans. I’d say it’s 50/50, so I’m focusing on the viewers that are giving me a chance and showing me love.”

There is, as Jimenez said, absolutely no room for bullying. Sometimes fans can view what they’re passionate about as being uniquely theirs, so when a change happens they don’t like, it turns into a personal affront. But taking that out on folks who are doing their job and making another human being feel horrible will never be OK.

So we’ll just leave this with what Jimenez told Soaps.com back when she started: “I feel incredibly blessed to be in this position and to have the opportunity to be on such an iconic show.”

That’s something so few people get, and something she earned through hard work and talent. No bullies can take that away.