Megan Barton Hanson had cosmetic surgery to ease the "pain" of looking in the mirror.
The ‘Love Island’ star was tormented by "nasty" classmates when she was at school and admitted it was initially "difficult" to persuade her mother to let her go under the knife – but once her mum saw how upset she was, she agreed at once.
She said: "[As a teenager, I was] awkward, geeky, massive glasses and braces. I was so shy. You get more confident, therapy helped.
"At school, kids can be so nasty. It was getting to me every day. I’d tie my hair back and my ears stuck out. Boys would make comments.
"It was difficult convincing my mum. She’s like, you’re so young, you won’t care, it’s only because you’re going through that awkward teenage stage. When she saw how much it was bothering me, it was a no-brainer…
"Every morning I woke up and didn’t feel good. Looking in the mirror was painful almost."
Though the 25-year-old beauty admitted she still has days where she feels down about her appearance, she’s learned to focus her attention elsewhere.
Asked what she does when she’s feeling bad about herself, she told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Look at the bigger picture, life goes on. There’s more to care about than looks. I focus on something else.
"I do yoga, exercising, eating well, going to the gym because if I ate McDonald’s and felt sorry for myself, that would not feel good. I’m not a gym freak. Everything in moderation."
Megan is aware of the impact social media posts can have on self esteem so she tries to "keep it real" by showing the bad in her life as well as the good.
She said: "I post when I go to award ceremonies and when I’ve my hair and make-up done, but I keep it real. When I broke up with my ex I posted me crying in bed. I have days when I feel completely alone, I try and get the balance right…
"Like everybody, I’m guilty of comparing myself to others. That’s the biggest downfall in social media. [Now] an hour before I go to bed, I try not to be on Instagram."
Megan Barton Hanson: Looking in the mirror was ‘painful’
