The Bachelor's Heather is on the verge of tears as she talks about being viciously bullied.

It started in primary school.

Television personality and ex-Bachelor contestant Heather Maltman has revealed how she too had a childhood ravaged by the effects of bullying.

The reveal came in a tender interview with artists Gillie and Marc.

Sitting alone and speaking in a raw monologue, Maltman shared how it pushed her to question whether she was even worthy of being alive.

“There were moments where I actually questioned whether or not I should even be here and by completely segregating myself I was giving weight to the thoughts they were creating for me,” Maltman said.

Maltman spoke about how bullying creates a sense of isolation in the victim that ultimately plants doubts in areas of previous confidence.

'The main thing that happened from those years was that I didn't realise that I started to isolate myself because I allowed the thoughts of these kids...to dictate my value and to dictate whether or not I was worthy of being there and being alive," she said.

The Bachelor hopeful also touched on how the bullying affected her choice of high school.

"I changed schools because the girls at the primary school I went to had told me that if I went to their high school, that they would literally beat the shit out of me after school," she said.

When Maltman began high school, she was offered short-term relief before it too became a place of dread.

"'When I got to the private school I became friends with a few of the girls and quite a few of the guys, I was quite popular," she said.

The bullies then gave her an ultimatum: bully her sister and keep the status she worked so desperately to achieve or protect her sister and lose everything.

Maltman chose her sister.

"Then I found out the only way I could stay in their group was if I started teasing my older sister and when I refused to do that I then became the subject of their bullying," she said.

The decision sparked a chain of bullying so severe that Maltman was forced to leave school for eight months.

"I decided that it was better to just stay home than actually go," she said.

Maltman today stands as a confident young woman whose horrific challenges as a child are only testament to her true strength.

A photo posted by Heather Maltman (@heather_maltman) on Dec 9, 2015 at 11:34am PST

And though her discussion may have centred upon her schooling one must keep in mind that bullying like its effects, go beyond the school gates.

Listen as children explain what they think bullying is and what it can mean...