Famous people who were bullied
As kids get ready to head back to school, the subject of bullying will be on many parents' minds. A 2010 study by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program revealed one in every six American students in grades three to 12 are bullied. Millions of children have experienced the trauma of emotional and physical victimization, and cyberbullying extends the reach of bullies beyond school walls.
Bullying can be a life-or-death issue. LGBT bullying commanded national attention when several gay teens committed suicide. Bullying can be stopped. Let's look at some successful people who struggled with, and overcame, physical and verbal bullying.
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When vocal wonder Christina Aguilera was trying to make it big, her classmates were making her life miserable.
From slashing her tires to giving her the cold shoulder, bullying made Aguilera's school life difficult. Says the singer, "It was hard for me to relate to other kids."
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For "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken, mass popularity is a new experience. Aiken's life at junior high school was rough. He now speaks out to end bullying and encourages inclusion across the nation.
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Princess Aiko – whose name means "one who loves others", the 8-year-old daughter of Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, was reportedly too scared to attend school for several days. When she returned, she skipped many classes and was accompanied by a personal guard.
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At the tender age of 13, Christian Bale earned the leading role in "Empire of the Sun." Though he found fame early on, he was constantly beaten at school.
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Model and TV personality Tyra Banks described herself as a bully in elementary school, being cliquey and making "unpopular" children leave her group of friends. But when Banks became a teenager, she found herself a victim of taunts and teasing.
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The lead singer and songwriter of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington had a rough time growing up. His parents divorced when he was 11, and he turned to cocaine and methamphetamine, working at Burger King to support his addictions. Bennington's school life was equally bleak as he endured frequent physical assaults.
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President Bill Clinton ended his second presidential term with record approval ratings. Yet he described himself as an unpopular schoolboy in Arkansas, vividly recalling a story of being slugged by a 6-foot-6-inch boy at a local YMCA dance.
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Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer's "Glee" character is routinely bullied and "slushied" by his high school peers. Many fans were sad to learn that when playing the role of a bullied teen, Colfer had plenty of personal experiences to draw upon.
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Tom Cruise cites the childhood stigma of his dyslexia diagnosis as a contributing factor to his conversion to Scientology. Cruise also dealt with an abusive father, described as "the merchant of chaos," and dozens of school switches, often being targeted for physical abuse by bullies at each new school.
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Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst said one of the band's hiatuses was due to his concern that their music was fueling bullying.
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British adventurer Ranulph Fiennes has been atop Mount Everest, journeyed to the North and South poles, completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents just four months after suffering a major heart attack, and even performed a self-amputation. Yet he hasn't forgotten his years of being bullied at a famous British boarding school, saying none of his physical challenges ever hurt as much as bullies' taunts.
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Many people might be surprised that cool and composed Tim Gunn, host of "Project Runway" and "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" and a professor at a prestigious design school, was bullied so badly that he tried to kill himself when he was 17.
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President Barack Obama graduated from prestigious undergraduate and law school programs, he has a beautiful family and has written best-selling books. Yet as an ambitious young man, he was often bullied by classmates.
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Michael Phelps won the most gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics and set 39 world records. His coaches describe him as a motivation machine, but a teacher once told his mother that he wasn't gifted and would never be able to focus on anything. In addition to fighting these perceptions, Phelps had to struggle with the emotional trauma of being bullied.
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Barbados native Rihanna had a rough childhood with a father addicted to alcohol and drugs, but since moving to the U.S. when she was 16, she has sold more than 20 million albums and 60 million singles. Despite her talent, Rihanna faced discrimination-based bullying in elementary school.
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Actor and comedian Chris Rock channeled his school-day bullying into the critically acclaimed "Everybody Hates Chris." Chris Rock felt isolated at school and was routinely verbally and physically abused. When Rock went public with his past hurts, an elementary school teacher wrote him an apology letter for his less-than-stellar role in Rock's life.
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British Olympic javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson competed in every summer Olympics from 1976-1996 and won Olympic gold for the javelin in 1984. Yet Sanderson was haunted by horrible bullying throughout her childhood.
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"Twilight," ''New Moon" and " Eclipse" star Kristen Stewart has massive blockbusters on her résumé. She got her big break starring alongside Jodie Foster in "Panic Room" when she was only 12. While Stewart displayed poise and confidence behind the camera and during interviews, she never managed to connect with her classmates. To avoid her peers, Stewart began taking correspondence courses to get her degree.
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Heartthrob Justin Timberlake is the definition of cool and sexy – but in school he was tormented for being different.
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Prince Harry of Wales eschewed university to enlist in the military, spending months fighting in Afghanistan. One might think his military experience would have made him an unlikely target for bullying, but the prince has, at times, sought counseling for his emotional trauma.
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Stunning Academy Award winner Kate Winslet started acting at school when she was 11. As the daughter of "jobbing actors," money was sometimes tight. In addition to financial stress, Winslet's classmates teased her about her looks.
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Source: msn
