He might be a loveable larrikin on set but behind closed doors House Rules star Tim still suffers the scars from being bullied during high school.
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“It started probably around Year 8, then got really bad between Year 9 and Year 10,” he tells New Idea.
“I was a year younger than everyone and I was a bit overweight and chubby and I got called heaps of names. Then one day it got so bad, I ran to the bathroom and started crying. I rang my mum and said, ‘I am never going back’.” And, he didn’t!
“I went to a new school and I never had another problem.”
Despite having moved on, his brother Mat reveals Tim still suffers scars from his experience.
“It’s going on 20 years since that happened to Tim and even now, he still puts on clothing and he won’t wear something if he thinks it makes him look big. He always says, ‘I hate this’ and I’m like, ‘you look fine’,” says Mat.
“He has a bit of body dysmorphia. He sees what isn’t there. And this is someone who goes to the gym and keeps fit, but he still has this element of damaged self-confidence and that’s the damage of bullying.”
Tim is now a father to Isabella, 1, and he worries about what she might face in school.
“[Bullying] is so rife these days – the chances of it happening are so high,” he says.
“What I am worried about is how I will handle it and how I would support her through that if it happens.”
- If you or someone you know needs support, help is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!
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