COURTNEY, 24, GRIMSBY

When I was in college, I went on a big, long-term diet and lost five stone. I was a lot slimmer - though I was still big - but I realised I wasn’t a better person, I wasn’t suddenly beautiful, I wasn’t suddenly amazing. I was still the same person, but a lot less happy.

I was bullied a lot throughout my school years, and I hated my body - absolutely hated it. It really affected my mental health.

When I was 10, I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, so each year I’ve put on more weight. I was always really active, so it was strange. New lumps and bumps formed that I didn’t know what to do with.

But one night someone commented on all of my pictures saying that I was fat and looked like someone from Star Wars.

I messaged her and asked her why she was doing it. Why she found it fun to hurt someone like that. She replied, and later admitted that she had hang-ups about her own body. She said she felt fat.

It made me think that often people are just pushing their own insecurities out. Someone will look at me and think: ‘I don’t want to be that size, I wouldn’t be happy that size, so why should you be happy when you’re fat?’

It makes me sad to think about people who are struggling so much that they think the only way to make themselves feel better is to put someone down. That’s not the way. You can’t be comparing yourself to other people.

I know it’s not easy, but the sooner you start to see yourself, how great you are, the better. You won’t need to judge someone by their looks.”