A woman who was branded "Godzilla" by cruel classmates at school has beaten the bullies to become the tallest ever contestant in Miss England history.
At 6 foot 2 inches, Kathryn Turner, 24, was left with low confidence and self-esteem after being relentlessly teased about her height during her teenage years. By the age of seven she already towered above her friends and wore clothes aimed at girls twice her age as she struggled to fit into Disney princess dresses.
Kathryn was then picked on throughout secondary school by kids who branded her a “circus freak” and “Godzilla” due to her size. And during nights out from the age of 18, she was once called a man by a group of girls in a club and was even punched in a random attack.
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But Kathryn bravely overcame her tormentors by being able to embrace her 6ft 2ins stature and size 9 feet. She found the confidence to start modelling before applying for the Miss England pageant and was left delighted to make it through to the final heat stages.
Kathryn, who works as a resident advisor for a student housing company, is now vying to become the tallest ever winner in the competition's 93 year history. She says she now wants to empower young women to embrace their differences after previously believing she was too ugly to model.
Kathryn, of Aigburth, Liverpool, added: “As a child I didn't know I was different until someone called me weird for being the same height as a Year 6 pupil in Year 2. I was the height of a ten-year-old aged six and wore clothes for 14-year-old's when I was seven.
"The bullying was at its worst during secondary school and I would be called names like 'Godzilla' and 'circus freak' and I could always feel everyone’s eyes on me. I also suffered physical abuse whilst out clubbing with my friends on a few occasions and my confidence was knocked.
“On one night out in July 2017 a random boy came up to me and started giving my verbal abuse and he started on me and I ended up with a broken nose in hospital. On a second occasion in a club in Liverpool a girl came up to me and thought I was a man because of my height and started on me.
“This really knocked my confidence again and I felt like I was back at school. But, over the years I have learnt that what someone else thinks about you does not really matter. I began to grow from the bullying and it actually made me stronger. My stature and height is powerful and I am still the beautiful person I was before all those people called me horrible names and stared.
"Friends and family said I should have modelled in the past because of my height but I never believed I was good enough due to the bullying and lack of self-belief. But now I want to inspire others to embrace their differences and reach for their dreams and goals."
Kathryn applied to Miss England last October after returning from a trip to Paris where she randomly featured in an influencer’s video on TikTok under the Louvre. After the video went viral, she was then encouraged by friends and family to try professional modelling.
Kathryn is currently third place out of 20 girls in the online Miss England heats with over 5,000 people voting for her so far to win a place in the semi-finals. If she places in the top two she automatically wins a spot at the Miss England 2023 semi-final to be held later this year.
She added: “If I make the finals, it will be a dream come true and my younger self would be so proud. My brother Joe has autism so I would like to make a difference and support this in the charity round, and I have just started martial arts for the sports round.
“My mum is my biggest fan and everyone in my family is very supportive. Even the students I work with in my job are all supporting me in my Miss England heats. I believe anybody that is tall needs to embrace their height and I hope I can help others in the same boat.”
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