fashion

How Hayley Hasselhoff went from bullied Hollywood kid to fashion success story.

Having a famous dad didn’t stop Hayley Hasselhoff from being bullied about her weight as a kid.

The daughter of former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff has opened up about the bullying she experienced, and how she overcame it to become a plus-sized model and now a designer.

“I was picked on a lot as a child,” she told The Telegraph.

“I was always aware I never looked the same as other girls. I had boobs before anyone else and wore a bra from the age of nine. I found it all very uncomfortable.”

“One memory that stands out is during a dance at school. I heard this boy say, ‘I got the fat girl.’ Afterwards, I told my mother, ‘Don’t ever make me go again.’ It was awful. But I just wasn’t formed the same way as everyone else.”

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Hayley didn’t stop the bullies from holding her back, signing up to a modelling agency at 14 years old, and now realising a dream to become a fashion designer with the launch of her first collection for British plus-size fashion retailer, Elvi.

The 24 year old , who is signed to the same modelling agency as Tess Holliday, said her clothing line is “sophisticated, minimalistic, tailored and timeless”.

“I love clean lines and want everything to be chic and simple. That often doesn’t come through in plus-size,” she said.

The model, rightly so, described herself as “normal-sized” and said she hadn’t felt pressure to lose weight.

“Not at all. I’ve never conformed to society’s standard of beauty.”

•Long Waistcoat• Available now at Elvi.co.uk #AW16 #ElvixHHasselhoff

A photo posted by Hayley Hasselhoff (@hhasselhoff) on

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But she hasn’t been without moments of self-doubt, recalling the time she gained “half an inch” a few years ago and was told by a model agent she looked “unrecognisable”.

“I felt I’d let myself down. It shows how it’s cutthroat in plus-size, too, just like in regular modelling.”

Hayley said she was encouraged by the growing diversity of bodies on catwalks.

“When I was 14 and starting out, there was nothing, but now there’s so much plus-size on the high street – even in high fashion,” she said.