Bullied girl gets revenge on tormentors by becoming bikini model

A schoolgirl who was bullied for being “fat” and didn’t have any friends has gone on to get the ultimate revenge on her former classmates.

A woman who was bullied for being overweight throughout school has had the last laugh after becoming a successful bikini model.

Diane Frick said she was tormented daily by her classmates who taunted her for being fat while also making fun of her “pimply skin, frizzy hair and bad clothes”.

But the 36-year-old from Melbourne has got the ultimate revenge on those who made her life a “living hell” after overhauling her lifestyle to compete in several prestigious bodybuilding competitions.

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Diane Frick said she was bullied at school for being ‘fat’ and didn’t have any friends. Picture: Caters News

“I would get called names like ‘piggy’ due to being overweight. They made songs about me and sing that I was ‘fat to the bone’ to the tune of ‘bad to the bone’,” she said.

Diane went on to describe how she felt she “wasn’t good enough for anyone to be friends with”, adding that the torment left her with psychological scars.

“I would beat myself up for not looking how I wanted to my whole life,” she explained.

Although she was never “massively overweight”, Diane said she had poor eating habits and did not do much exercise – which left her feeling sluggish and depressed.

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While the Melbourne woman was never ‘massively overweight’, she felt sluggish and tired regularly. Picture: Caters News

But after losing 8kg when she adopted a healthier lifestyle, she gained a new confidence. Picture: Caters News

But after seeing competitions for bikini models while scrolling on social media, she became inspired to transform her lifestyle.

Diane overhauled her diet, cutting out junk food and alcohol, and she also took up weight training.

She lost 8kg and dropped three dress sizes, going from having 34.7 per cent body fat to 12 per cent body fat currently.

The healthier lifestyle led to a new figure and also a new sense of confidence, so in October 2019, Diane entered a bodybuilding competition – and incredibly she won.

“I never imagined I could be proud of my body. I would always wear clothes that covered everything and was so hateful and ashamed of myself,” she said.

“So for that bullied girl to transform, not only physically but mentally, and be able to stand on stage in a bikini and ask professionals to judge her body is massive.”

Diane won a bodybuilding competition last year. Picture: Caters News / Ban Studios

At the Australian International Natural Bodybuilding Association event last year, Diane was crowned overall bikini champion, a feat she never imagined would be possible.

“I couldn’t believe it, and I was so proud of how far I’d come, both physically and mentally,” she said.

As she approaches her 37th birthday this year, Diane says she looks and feels younger and more radiant now than when she was in her 20s.

Now the model is sharing her story to help raise awareness about the effects of bullying and to give inspiration to others who may have been through similar experiences.

“I look so much younger now than I did before, and people comment on it anytime they find out my age,” she added.

The 36-year-old is hoping her story helps others. Picture: Caters News

“Most people generally pick me to be 10 years younger than I am. Going through what I did in school has given me a huge amount of empathy for kids who are bullied.

“It’s true that sometimes you need to be destroyed to rebuilt stronger.

“I’ll never forget the way I was treated, but it has definitely made me a resilient person.”