Love Island Australia 2024’s Sophie Mills shared that overcoming severe bullying in high school helped her discover her newfound confidence, in an exclusive interview with Chattr.
While she may be sauntering into the villa in the highly coveted position of the first female bombshell, Sophie told Chattr that her confidence has been “way, way down” in recent years.
“I was bullied in high school. I actually didn’t even get to graduate because I was so badly bullied. I left after year 11,” she said.
“There were a lot of mean girls, jealousy, and things like that. I’ve built my way back up, being outside of school.”
Sophie said she felt immensely proud of herself for putting herself in a vulnerable position by going on Love Island Australia.
“This is something that old Sophie would never, ever do. I was a bit nervous, and it was very daunting for me to walk through those villa doors, especially by myself.
“But, I back myself more than ever because of the experience I’ve had in the past.”
What was Love Island’s Sophie bullied about in high school?
Sophie explained that she felt like she was never “fully accepted” in high school.
“Obviously, you have your [high school] cliques, and everybody has their little group. I never really liked that. That wasn’t my style, so I would be a floater around the grade,” she explained.
“The cool girl group — if people call them that — I was part of it, but I never was really, fully accepted,” she added.
“I didn’t consider myself to be as pretty as them or this or that, but that’s just the way they made me feel.”
Sophie said that while she wasn’t sure why some of her peers made her feel like an outcast, her mum told her it stemmed from jealousy.
“I think her opinions are biased,” Sophie laughed.
How Sophie’s experience with bullying has shaped her
Sophie told Chattr that after leaving high school, she learned to love herself and said her experience made her a stronger woman.
“It’s made me who I am today, and without it, I would never be the confident girl that I was when I walked through the villa doors,” she said.
The bombshell said that being through bullying had taught her to stand up for herself.
“I don’t really take shit anymore like I used to. People used to compare me to a doormat. People would tell me, ‘You literally let people walk all over you’. But, I don’t let it happen anymore.”
Good luck to Sophie! We love a strong woman, and we can’t wait to see her stand her ground in the villa.
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