From the age of five, Alisha Cowie was picked on by cruel children in school who branded her 'fat' and made her feel as though she was the odd one out in class.
By the time she reached secondary school, the bullies caused her to restrict her eating until she became very underweight - and then they called her 'too skinny'.
Unable to catch a break, 13-year-old Alisha had hot drinks poured over her in the canteen and rocks thrown at her on the way home, leaving her anxious to go in.
"It got so bad the school had to consider my safety which meant I went to school 10am - 2pm and sat in a separate room on my own to do my lessons," Alisha explained.
"I had anorexia, depression and anxiety all at one time. It's really sad to look back on it," she said. "I was bullied for being 'fat' at five-years-old. It continued until I became 6 stone at 13 and then I was bullied for being too skinny.
"I was at 300 calories a day and the bullying definitely made my anorexia worse. I had hot drinks poured over me in Year 7, it then continued to the point I had stones thrown at me on my way home from school.
"Bullies can be awful but thankfully as I've grown up I've come to realise it's a reflection on them rather than me, and sometimes the nastiest people need the most love and attention." Alisha, from County Durham, said she always wanted to be a model when she was younger, but never thought it could be a full-time job. That was until she took a leap of faith.
"I actually come from quite a poor background as well so it was really hard to see opportunities," she said. "It's a really difficult place to come from when you don't have the money in the first place." The now-23-year-old began competing in beauty pageants and has gone on to become one of Britain's most successful beauty queens, winning two of the biggest titles.
"As far as I'm aware there's nobody in recent history to win both Miss England and Miss International," she said. "There wasn't any inclination that I would win. I never like to assume anything.
"With Miss England, I was kind of competing blind. With Miss International, I knew what I wanted to do to win. I would say they were both different times in my life for different reasons.
"For Miss England I was only 19 a the time. When I won [Miss International] last month, I'm fully self-employed and renovating a house. I was at different stages of my life."
Alisha, who is also a professional photographer, wowed the judges in June and beat 56 other finalists to win a place in the Miss International finals held in Japan in October. "My main aim was to raise money for charity. I raised £1,305 for A Sisterhood," she said.
"They fund projects for women worldwide, in India and in Wales. I lost my friend to suicide in 2013 so that's something that I'm passionate about." Holly Pirrie, director of Miss International UK, said: "I am thrilled for Alisha and she truly deserved to win. Alisha will be an incredible representative for the United Kingdom at Miss International and I know that she will have the trip of a lifetime in Tokyo.
"It was a beautiful moment to see her dad celebrate her success, it's brilliant to see that love and support. The fundraising and volunteer work that Alisha has completed is truly outstanding. She is the definition of beauty, inside and out."
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