Samantha Brick, the woman who confessed her life has been blighted by her beauty, has revealed to the Huffington Post UK that she used to be an "ugly duckling" as an online storm erupted over her latest article.
Brick, 41, sparked outrage on Tuesday after she wrote an article in the Daily Mail describing how even while dressed down in a "demure, albeit pretty, top" she attracts the ire of fellow women and "snarky comments".
But she confessed to The Huffington Post UK that she was a "fat, spotty child".
"After entering puberty the weight dropped, the spots were controlled and the hair was dyed blonde. When you've been the ugly duckling, you notice when the world deems you a swan."
The writer, whose previous work includes 'Why my husband says he'll divorce me if I get fat', 'I'll always be that fat girl', 'I married a man-child', 'How to survive as a French wife', 'Yes, French women DO get fat' is used to stirring up controversy.
But Brick's confession about the downside of beauty caught the eye of Tweeters, who questioned if it was a late April Fool's joke, or if they were simply "missing something".
She told The Huffington Post UK, after being contacted during her weekly shop, that she thought the online reaction was "surreal".
"Personally it's very surreal, I live in the middle of nowhere, internet is erratic, no one here knows what Twitter is."
Brick shared her top beauty tip ("get yourself a French husband. You will never be allowed to let yourself go") and said she had trouble keeping female friends, adding:
"No, it's keeping them that's the problem. That said, I have female friends ranging from 14 - 87."
She claimed men, however, didn't "bullshit" or "bitch": "I have lots of male friends. They don't bullshit you or bitch behind your back and they'll always tell you if you look good (without necessarily trying to get into your underwear)."
Her piece had attracted an eye-popping 1,621 comments at the time of writing - many remarking on her previous article about why it's OK to flirt with your male boss to get ahead.
But Brick said despite the online storm "lots of Mail readers have emailed me privately in support and sharing similar experiences".