“You know we can bury anyone,” Nathan wrote in response.

In the weeks that followed, negative media coverage and commentary about Lively dominated the media cycle. Lively was criticised for promoting her haircare line during the press tour for It Ends With Us, a film about domestic violence, and was branded difficult to work with by others.

Until now, Baldoni had emerged largely unscathed. Earlier this month, he received an award for his work to “elevate women, combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality worldwide”. This award has since been rescinded.

Lawyers for Baldoni and the production company have dismissed Lively’s allegations as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media”.

Other celebrities to speak out in support of Lively include America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn, who starred together in the 2005 film, The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants.

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“As Blake’s friends and sister of over 20 years, we stand in solidarity with her as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” they wrote in a joint statement on Instagram.

Colleen Hoover, the author of the book that inspired It Ends With Us, reposted it, writing: “This statement from these women and Blake’s ability to refuse to sit down and ‘be buried’ has been nothing short of inspiring.”

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