The woman who was ridiculed across the nation after becoming the face of Obamacare's shambolic website has lashed out against the 'cyberbullies' in her first interview. The 'Mona Lisa of healthcare' revealed herself only as 'Adriana', a married mother of one originally from Colombia, in an interview with ABC, weeks after speculation first swirled around her identity. She said she finally decided to come forward so she could stand up for herself and set the facts straight about who she was and how her picture came to feature on the beleaguered website. Adriana's face was mocked by late-night comedy shows, photoshopped and shared online after it featured on the website, which launched on October 1. Scroll Down for Video . Hurt: Adriana, who became the face of Obamacare's troubled website, has spoken out for the first time to reveal how much she was hurt by the cyberbullies who ridiculed her after the site's release . Standing up for herself: She said she had no idea why she was attacked as she didn't have anything to with the website and had only had her family photos taken because it was a free service . 'They have nothing else to do but hide behind the computer,' she said of her attackers. 'They're cyberbullying.' In one example, satirical website The Onion published a story called 'People In Healthcare.gov Stock Photos Now Visibly Panicking' - with Adriana's eyes altered to make her look alarmed. Conservative blogger David Burge even tweeted: 'Congrats, vapidly smiling Healthcare.gov splash page stock photo girl! You're now the most despised face on planet Earth.' She responded: 'I don't know why people should hate me because it's just a photo. I didn't design the website. I didn't make it fail, so I don't think they should have any reasons to hate me.' As the ridicule of Adriana continued, there was also speculation that she might not be a legal . resident or eligible for Obamacare. The Mona of healthcare: Adriana's image appeared on the Obamacare website on October 1 . She . said that she is Colombian but has been married to a U.S. citizen for . six-and-a-half years. They live in Maryland with their 21-month-old son. She is a permanent resident applying for citizenship. She explained that her photo appeared on the website after she contacted the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services about having free photos of her and her family taken. In exchange, the images could be used to market the new health care law. She paid nothing and received no payment for the photograph. Even though she gave her permission for the images to be used, she was stunned by the negative reaction once they went live. 'It was upsetting. It was sad,' she said. 'And in a way, I'm glad that my son is not old enough to understand, . because you know whatever happens to you, it hurts them too.' Mocked: The Onion published a story called 'People In Healthcare.gov Stock Photos Now Visibly Panicking' Cruel: Conservative blogger David Burge also attacked Adriana as the 'most despised face on Earth' The photo was eventually removed from the website two weeks ago, which she called a 'relief', and now she can laugh about the whole thing, she said. 'They didn't ruin my life. I still have a . job, I'm still married,' she said. 'That didn't really crush me to . the ground. I'm fine. Now I laugh about it.' A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News that Adriana's photo was removed simply because 'Healthcare.gov is a dynamic website'. 'We transitioned to new graphics because we believe they provide a better way to visually reinforce key information to users about options for applying at this point in time,' said the spokesperson. Even President Barack Obama's supporters have been critical of the website's performance which has been plagued with problems from the start. Obama said there 'is no excuse' for the glitches.
Woman who appeared on the troubled Obamacare website revealed herself only as 'Adriana' - a married mother originally from Colombia .
She said she was shocked by the negative response - but now admits she can laugh about the ordeal .
She was not paid for the family photos; they were taken for free in exchange for them to market the new health care law .
The woman who was ridiculed across the nation after becoming the face of Obamacare's shambolic website has lashed out against the 'cyberbullies' in her first interview. The 'Mona Lisa of healthcare' revealed herself only as 'Adriana', a married mother of one originally from Colombia, in an interview with ABC, weeks after speculation first swirled around her identity. She said she finally decided to come forward so she could stand up for herself and set the facts straight about who she was and how her picture came to feature on the beleaguered website. Adriana's face was mocked by late-night comedy shows, photoshopped and shared online after it featured on the website, which launched on October 1. Scroll Down for Video . Hurt: Adriana, who became the face of Obamacare's troubled website, has spoken out for the first time to reveal how much she was hurt by the cyberbullies who ridiculed her after the site's release . Standing up for herself: She said she had no idea why she was attacked as she didn't have anything to with the website and had only had her family photos taken because it was a free service . 'They have nothing else to do but hide behind the computer,' she said of her attackers. 'They're cyberbullying.' In one example, satirical website The Onion published a story called 'People In Healthcare.gov Stock Photos Now Visibly Panicking' - with Adriana's eyes altered to make her look alarmed. Conservative blogger David Burge even tweeted: 'Congrats, vapidly smiling Healthcare.gov splash page stock photo girl! You're now the most despised face on planet Earth.' She responded: 'I don't know why people should hate me because it's just a photo. I didn't design the website. I didn't make it fail, so I don't think they should have any reasons to hate me.' As the ridicule of Adriana continued, there was also speculation that she might not be a legal . resident or eligible for Obamacare. The Mona of healthcare: Adriana's image appeared on the Obamacare website on October 1 . She . said that she is Colombian but has been married to a U.S. citizen for . six-and-a-half years. They live in Maryland with their 21-month-old son. She is a permanent resident applying for citizenship. She explained that her photo appeared on the website after she contacted the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services about having free photos of her and her family taken. In exchange, the images could be used to market the new health care law. She paid nothing and received no payment for the photograph. Even though she gave her permission for the images to be used, she was stunned by the negative reaction once they went live. 'It was upsetting. It was sad,' she said. 'And in a way, I'm glad that my son is not old enough to understand, . because you know whatever happens to you, it hurts them too.' Mocked: The Onion published a story called 'People In Healthcare.gov Stock Photos Now Visibly Panicking' Cruel: Conservative blogger David Burge also attacked Adriana as the 'most despised face on Earth' The photo was eventually removed from the website two weeks ago, which she called a 'relief', and now she can laugh about the whole thing, she said. 'They didn't ruin my life. I still have a . job, I'm still married,' she said. 'That didn't really crush me to . the ground. I'm fine. Now I laugh about it.' A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News that Adriana's photo was removed simply because 'Healthcare.gov is a dynamic website'. 'We transitioned to new graphics because we believe they provide a better way to visually reinforce key information to users about options for applying at this point in time,' said the spokesperson. Even President Barack Obama's supporters have been critical of the website's performance which has been plagued with problems from the start. Obama said there 'is no excuse' for the glitches.
healthcare' revealed herself only as 'Adriana', a married mother of one originally from Colombia, website and had only had her family photos taken the Obamacare website on October 1 . She . said the images could be used to market the new health her permission for the images to be used, she was stunned by the negative reaction once they went a 'relief', and now she can laugh about the whole