SMASH HITS/APRIL 2001

Before he was a Smash Hits cover star, Kian Westlife was the victim of bullies. Here he tells us his story...

I used to get picked on quite a lot when I was younger. I was the type of kind who never really fought back. It wasn�t in my nature, I didn�t really have a temper and I always wanted to have enough pride to be able to show my face the next day. Fighting just wasn�t a part of who I was.
There were a lot of broken down families around our area and it was a small town so everybody knew each other. Guys were always looking for a fight, usually for no reason, and I think they saw a soft spot in me.

It can happen to anyone
To be honest, I never paid much attention to the verbal abuse, but it was different when things got physical. I�d usually get hit in the face two or three times and one time I had two guys on me at once � I felt like I was in a dream. I never actually got bullied while I was in school, it was the guys outside that caused all the trouble. The thing is that bullying can go on anywher, to anyone. Unfortunately it�s all a part of growing up.
My two big brothers used to freak out when I told them what happened, but I never wanted them to get involved. I figured the chances are the guy fighting you has an even bigger brother and everything just gets out of hand. I was Lucky �cos my cousin Michael and best friend Graham, who was in the band before, were always there for me.
Between the ages of about eight and 12 I used to get teased for having big lips. People called me horse lips. (Laughing) I used to tell them that ladies loved to kiss big lips. It wasn�t true but that was my comeback. There were times when I was too scared to go out in case they were waiting me. At one steps, when I was 15, I got really upset and pleaded with my mum to send me to boarding school. �I�m sick of it, please send me awayto music school,� I�d say. She was like, �What do you mean?� But I was desperate.

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� 2001 Pami

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