The Bachelor’s Gemma White’s heartbreaking 26kg weight loss

She’s fighting it out to win Bachelor Locky Gilbert’s heart, but Gemma White wasn’t always confident – losing 26kg after being bullied at school.

It’s hard to believe Bachelor contestant Gemma White was ever the subject of bullying and fat shaming.

But at just 15-years old, the confident beauty pageant queen was tormented because of her weight.

White is an ambassador for anti-bullying organisation “I Can I Will” and revealed she lost 26kg due as a result of bullying in a 2017 interview with The Courier Mail.

“I was 26kg heavier than I am now. There’s nothing wrong with being bigger or smaller, but it’s a matter of being happy,” the 28-year old told the publication.

“I was huge compared to everyone else in my year and I was bullied for that, and the fact is that one in three children are bullied.”

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Bachelor star Gemma has previously opened up about why she lost 26kg. Picture: Instagram / Gemmaaa_white

She began her weight loss journey at the young age of 15 and lost the weight over a period of two years before joining a deportment and modelling school at 17.

But the bullying didn’t stop.

“I then copped bullying on the other side with people saying, ‘Oh, she must be bulimic’ but I was able to overcome that.”

It was through travelling the world, teaching English in Cambodia and winning Miss Australia Continents that she was able to work through the negativity.

In several Instagram posts she shared her experience with bullying. Picture: Instagram / Gemmaaa_white

After losing weight, she was still picked on by others. Picture: Instagram / Gemmaaa_white

“To have my name called as the winner of Miss Australia Continents was a realisation of all my hard work and volunteering and that everything I love has all come together.”

The Gold Coast real estate agent has been vocal about her body transformation on Instagram. White shared a comparison picture between herself as a child and now, admitting her weight loss has been a learning process.

“Funny enough the little girl on the left had no health issues and lived a normal childhood (I loved to dance! And still do). The me now knows an active balanced lifestyle is super important for optimum health,” she captioned a post in May 2018.

Before her Bachelor fame she became a bikini model and beauty pageant contestant, winning Miss Australia Continents. Picture: Instagram / Gemmaaa_white

But her health took a turn for the worst when she developed two auto-immune diseases.

“I have battled 2 auto-immune diseases (Crohn’s & Rheumatoid Arthritis) and have since been on a natural path of recovery and to get my body back in balance. I have had to knuckle down on my diet even more and whilst there has been a lot of change for me in the past couple of years I have learnt so much about myself and life in general.”

Despite the challenges life has presented her with, she believes “we can only ever be grateful for all the lessons life throws our way, for everything happens for a reason.”

Gemma encourages people to not be ‘too hard’ on themselves. Picture: Instagram / Gemmaaa_white

“Be kind and chose love always, don’t judge others for we are each on our own journey. It’s important to nourish our mind, body and soul to be our best self everyday.

She concluded: “Often we are too hard on ourselves and reality is we all have rolls and fat bits and off days but what we need to remember most is that we are beautiful just the way we are!”

Amen.

This article originally appeared on bodyandsoul.com.au and was reproduced with permission