Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley has revealed she deleted her Instagram account because of the “pressure” of posting to millions of followers.

Daisy, who played Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, quit the social media app last month after reportedly receiving online abuse following a post about US gun violence.

Speaking at the Student Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Daisy said she had a “lot of growing up to do” and had no immediate plans to return to the photo-sharing site.

“I felt a pressure being on it,” she told the Press Association.

“I was like ‘I need to post. Oh my god, it’s been this many days’. It’s actually been kind of nice not to be on it.

“I’m 24. I have a lot of growing up to do. I have to deal with loads of stuff myself personally. For that to be projected with millions of people watching, that is like a bit of an extra pressure.

“I think some people handle it well. Just right now it’s not for me but who knows.”

Daisy, who had 2.3 million Instagram followers before leaving the site, was reportedly targeted by online trolls after she shared a photo of herself after the 2016 Teen Choice Awards.

She had been joined at the ceremony by teenage relatives of victims of mass shootings in Orlando, Newtown and San Bernardino.

In an Instagram post, Daisy wrote: “As I sat in the audience yesterday tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence.”

She signed off the message with the hashtag “stoptheviolence”.

Daisy had previously taken to Instagram to say she would “not apologise” for her body in response to criticism on social media that she was too thin.