A young woman has managed to overcome the horrific bullying that blighted six years of her life to become an inspirational beauty queen - something she says has given her loads of confidence.
Danni De Bear, 21, suffered bullying during her teenage years and became so depressed she even considered taking her own life.
The brunette was taunted for living on a farm - with bullies nicknaming her 'pig girl' and likening her to the animals her family kept.
Over an agonising period of six years she had food hurled at her on a daily basis and was locked in cupboards.
And she says she would be constantly called fat and ugly to the point where she even began making herself sick in a bid to be thinner.
But now Danni, from Dorchester, Dorset, has learned to love herself after taking home the crown at a beauty pageant. “I was made to feel so worthless that I started to believe that I was fat and ugly,” said Danni.
“I even started making myself sick for a few months when I was 14. I wanted to be anyone else but me. “I thought about killing myself and I would cry every single day.
“I had no confidence whatsoever until I started doing the pageants. “But I feel like a totally different person now. I never thought I’d ever do something like this all those years ago.”
When she was 17, Danni’s mum Tina De Bear, now 45, entered her into her first pageant.
Despite being hesitant at first, Danni took part and saw her confidence soared almost overnight.
“I was terrified at first. My self-esteem was really low and when I walked out onto the stage I was shaking all over,” said Danni.
“I thought people would laugh at me or say I was too ugly to compete, but the crowd started cheering me straight away.”
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Danni is currently Miss Fresh Face UK 2014, Miss Cyberface 2013 and Miss Charity for Face of Dorset.
Once friendless and desperately self-conscious, Danni now travels the world and is asked for photographs by adoring fans.
She said: “I never thought that I’d be doing something like this in a million years. You feel like a celebrity when the crowd are shouting and screaming for you – it’s the most amazing feeling.”
And since finding love with scaffolder boyfriend Lee Millington, 29, three months ago, life has never been better for Danni.
She said: “Lee comes to watch me at the pageants and he told my mum that seeing me on the stage takes his breath away. The bullies made me want to be someone else but now I’m finally happy in my own skin.”