HE WAS THE SUBJECT OF PLAYGROUND TAUNTS AND BULLIES, BRYAN WESTLIFE OPEN HIS HEART ABOUT HIS DIFFICULT TEENAGE YEARS

WORDS: DONNA ARMSTRONG
MAG: SMASH HITS MAG

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT GROWING UP?
I didn't really enjoy growing up. I was fat, so I was a lot different to how I am now. I was quieter. Everyone was abusive 'cos of my weight and I didn't have many friends. People didn't accept me 'cos I was fat and I used to sing and dance.

DID THE OTHER KIDS LAUGH AT YOU FOR DANCING?
Yeah, I got called names like *dancer boy* and kids always said I was gay. I went to an all-boys' school and I was the only guy there who was into dancing, which was seen as a feminine thing. But I loved it so I didn't care.

WHAT ELSE WERE YOU INTERESTED IN?
Singing, music, and I spent a lot of time playing footy and hanging out with my best friend Eddie. But I got hassled there too for beeing chubby.

WERE YOU LUCKY WITH GIRLS?
Not at all. I didn't kiss a girl 'til I was 17. It was behind the cinema in Dublin. I'll never forget it.

HOW CONFIDENT WERE YOU?
Not very. In my last year of school people said I was the ugliest guy in the world and I'd never get a girlfriend. One day a guy walked up to me with his girlfriend said, "Look at him, would you ever go out with him?". When that happened I thought, "Right, I'm going to do something about this." I played more football, didn't eat as many sweets and worked at losing weight. And when I did people started to take me seriously.

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE WHEN YOU WENT TO STAGE SCHOOL?
Great, 'cos the people there accepted me. I made people laugh, so I made a lot of good friends.

HOW DID YOU COPE WITH BEING BULLIED?
I just did. I didn't sit down and say, "What am I going to do?" I just carried on. I focused on singing, taught myself the guitar and piano and listened to music. It's not like it was a horrible thing that one person said. Everyone said it so I learned to laugh it off.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE BULLIED?
If anybody slags you, ignore them. Usually they have their own problems and it's just their way of making themselves feel better. Focus on what you want to do and if you have a dream don't let anyone tell you you can't do it, you can. I always said I wanted to be a famous singer and everyone said, "No way, look at the state of you."

Thanx 2 Franzi @ Lynchi.de.vu