Woman bullied for being 6ft 2 learns to embrace her height to become tallest Miss England contestant
A 6ft 2in beauty queen, who was cruelly named "Godzilla" by classmates at school, has overcome the bullying and learnt to embrace her height to become the tallest ever contestant in Miss England history.
Kathryn Turner, 24, from Liverpool, says she was was left with low confidence and self-esteem after relentlessly being teased about her height during her teenage years.
By the age of seven, she already towered above her friends and wore clothes aimed at girls twice her age as she struggled to fit into Disney princess dresses.
Throughout secondary school she says she was picked on by other pupils who branded her a "circus freak" due to her unusual stature.
When she reached adulthood, the height prejudice continued with Turner once being called a man by a group of girls in a club and physically assaulted in a random attack.
According to statistics, the current average female height in the UK is 164.3 cm (just under 5ft 5in) whereas Turner is 189cm tall.
Meanwhile, the average male height in the UK is 178.2 cm or approximately 5ft 10in.
Despite years of bullying, Turner has learnt to love her statuesque frame and size nine feet, finding the confidence to start modelling and applying to compete in the Miss England pageant.
Having made it through to the final heat stages, Turner, who works as a resident advisor for a student housing company, is now vying to become the tallest ever winner in the competition's 93-year history.
She hopes to empower other young women to embrace their differences after previously believing she was too ugly to model.
“As a child, I didn't know I was different until, in year two, someone called me weird for being the same height as a year six pupil," Turner says.
"I was the height of a 10-year-old aged six and wore clothes for 14-year-olds when I was seven," she continues.
"The bullying was at its worst during secondary school. I would be called names and I could always feel everyone’s eyes on me.
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"I also suffered physical abuse whilst out clubbing with my friends on a few occasions and my confidence was knocked.
“But, over the years I have learnt that what someone else thinks about you does not really matter.
“I began to grow from the bullying and it actually made me stronger."
Turner says she now believes her stature and height make her "powerful" and credits the change in mindset for giving her the courage to start her modelling journey.
“Friends and family said I should have modelled in the past, but I never believed I was good enough due to the bullying and lack of self-belief," she explains.
“But now I want to inspire others to reach for their dreams and goals."
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Turner initially applied to Miss England last October after returning from a trip to Paris where she randomly featured in an influencer’s video on TikTok.
After the video went viral, she was then encouraged by friends and family to try professional modelling.
Turner is currently third place out of 20 girls in the online Miss England heats with over 5,000 people voting for her so far to win a place in the semi-finals.
If she places in the top two, she automatically wins a spot at the Miss England 2023 semi-final to be held later this year.
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“If I make the finals, it will be a dream come true and my younger self would be so proud," she says.
“I believe anybody that is tall needs to embrace their height and I hope I can help inspire others in the same boat.”
To find out more or enter Miss England, visit: www.missengland.info
Additional reporting SWNS.
