An inspirational teenager has spoken out about overcoming bullying and the suicide of his mum, after winning kickboxing accolades at a national competition.
Ashton Higgins was only five when his mother, model Kerrie Braeger, took her own life at 27. The youngster, from Stewarton, Ayrshire, didn’t find out the cause of her death until five years later and word spread among local children who began to tease and bully him.
The 15-year-old decided to take up kickboxing as a result and last month won a bronze medal in advanced low kicks and a silver medal in novice continuous at the WKC Scottish Championship at Braehead Arena. He said: “I remember my mum a lot. She was a lovely person. She had mental health issues. One day my mum went to a doctor’s appointment and didn’t come home for a few days.
“At the time I didn’t live with my dad and he came and told us that she had died in her sleep because he knew that if he told us the genuine reason we wouldn’t have been able to understand it.
“It wasn’t until I was 10 when my dad told me what actually happened as he didn't want me to hear about from somewhere else.
"That was hard to hear and it was like she died all over again. I was experiencing all that pain again. Finding that out was much tougher to take.
“People in school started to find out and that’s when the bullying began. I have always grown up with kids saying stuff about my mum, getting bullied and going home crying to my dad. I started lashing out and that’s when my dad got me into boxing.
“Since starting with my gym – RAM – the bullying has stopped. I’ve been able to get that emotion out and my mindset has changed and my confidence has improved. I’m like a completely new person.”
Last month, the Sunday Mail told the story of wrestling star Ravie Davie who spoke about his troubled past and the suicide of his mother at a young age and how he is now determined to give underprivileged kids an opportunity through the art of professional wrestling.
Former Stewarton Academy pupil Ashton added: “Hearing Davie went through similar things as me at the same age really helped me mentally. It was one of the reasons I did so well.”
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