Naomi Campbell has recalled being bullied over her looks growing up.
The supermodel, 54, has been hailed as one of the most beautiful women in the world and been an icon in the fashion industry for decades, however admits her looks attracted negative attention when she was younger.
Some nasty bullies even gave her the nickname Olive Oyl after cartoon character Popeye’s gangly girlfriend.
“I wasn’t at ease with myself because I was very skinny and quite tall for my age,” she began.
“And they used to call me Olive Oyl. And, you know, kids call each other names. My neck’s quite long, so I used to try to shrug my neck down so it wouldn’t be so long. I felt awkward.”
The London-born personality - who is being celebrated for her 40 years in the industry with a special V&A exhibition this summer - went on to share that her passion for dancing was what eventually helped her to come out of her shell and embrace who she was.
“I just would pose the movements and the poses that I did for dance, and that got me through. And creativity too. It’s something that I loved and yeah, that will never change with me. I feel that’s something that’s really part of my DNA,” the mum-of-two told the Cambon podcast.
“My mother gave me a few pointers in the hallway of our home when I was a teenager and I remember even the music we were walking to was Lionel Richie and to listen to the rhythm.”
