A FORMER Team GB athlete who stands at 6ft 4in has admitted that dating can sometimes be a struggle – because not many men are taller than her.
Despite this, taekwondo star Jade Slavin – from County Durham – has embraced her height after years of bullying.
Jade, 26, has admitted that she used to hate her stature, thanks to cruel bullies who called her "ugly" and "a freak".
These taunts left Jade – who's now a lettings negotiator and taekwondo coach – longing to be shorter, but at 16, she turned to modelling to boost her body confidence.
Her mindset soon changed for good when she was offered a place to represent Team GB in taekwondo at the age of 21.
She went on to win the Commonwealth Championships in Glasgow in 2014, and made two world championships and European championships.
It soon became clear to Jade that it was her height that contributed to her success in the sport, as she had the leg length that other athletes longed for.
Now she's proud of who she is, and no longer slouches in photos or looks down when she's walking down the street.
Jade says: "When I was at school, I hated being tall. I was bullied for my looks and I was painfully shy. The thing I struggled with the most was people's comments when I was out shopping.
"I'd often hear and see people whispering about me or taking sly photos of me without me knowing which really knocked my confidence.
"I've had many horrible comments over the years from girls whispering: 'I'd hate to be that tall' to getting jokes about my height whenever I got out to a bar or pub which isn't too bad but when you hear the same joke constantly, it does become annoying.
"I've been called ugly, a freak and had people say: 'You're actually quite pretty for being so tall' which is kind of a backhanded compliment.
"I hated being tall and different. I just wanted to be like every other girl who can wear heels and not get strange looks and whispering comments all the time."
Revealing how her sports career changed things for her, she adds: "Since I joined Team GB, I was proud of who I am and representing my country.
"I was proud to be tall as I would not have been where I was if I was not tall.
"It brought me a lot of success and now when people make comments in the street and think I can't hear them I just smile at them and it makes them feel a bit silly that I heard them.
"But most of the time people make nice comments and are amazed by my height."
Jade does have one or two teeny gripes, admitting that it can be tough finding clothes to fit her 49.9in legs.
She continues: "One of the main struggles I face is finding clothes to fit my extremely long legs. Not many shops offer tall sections and if they do there is not much choice.
"Another struggle is dating as I like boys to be the same height or taller than me and there aren't many tall boys in my area."
But she knows her life would be completely different if she was shorter.
Jade has now given her words of advice to others who might feel insecure about their height.
She says: "Don't ever let anyone bring you down. I spent so much time hating myself and would cry to my mum wishing I was 'normal'.
"But embrace being different. It has brought me so much success being tall which I would not have achieved if I was smaller.
"Embrace who you are and don't let anybody dull your sparkle."
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