Ex-student bullied because of her weight proves you don't have to be size zero to be beautiful

KATE Alia was bullied about her weight when she was younger but these days she is in the running to win a modelling contract.

When she was at school Miss Alia started piling on the pounds and by the time she was 15 she was a size 22. Eventually medics discovered she was suffering from polycystic ovaries which had triggered the weight gain.

The former Leeds Metropolitan University student learned what foods to eat and took up exercise and gradually shed the pounds. She is now a size 12/14. But along the way she had to endure taunts and bullying from her peers and even a former boyfriend, leaving her confidence at an all-time low.

“I just used to get called all sorts at school mainly by boys really they would turn round and say nasty things like ‘fatty’ or ‘lose weight’ or something like that,” she said.

Eventually Miss Alia was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, a condition where small cysts develop in the ovaries, which can affect fertility and which doctors told her was making her crave carbohydrates and pile on the pounds.

She changed her eating habits and fitted in more exercise – when she was a student in Leeds she used to walk everywhere – and gradually the weight came off.

This weekend at London Fashion Week, Hayley Morley, 21, from Surrey, who is a size 14, took to the catwalk for designer Mark Fast. She was one of the few curvy models on the catwalk in an industry where size six models are usually the norm.

She has become a muse for the designer and featured in his show on Saturday as part of his campaign to use “real-sized” women which Fast says he is keen to use because it shows people of all shapes and sizes can wear his clothes.

Miss Morley, who has worked for the designer before, says she has received hundreds of messages of support from young women thanking her for being a model with a body image they can relate to.

Last night Miss Alia, 22, welcomed the news that a size 14 model had been used on the catwalk at London Fashion Week saying: “That’s definitely something positive.”

She added: “I can see in a way why girls look up to some celebrity size zeros and their so-called ‘disciplined’ approach, but most men have said that they think skin and bones are disgusting and prefer curves.

“Anyone with a suitable model attribute should be able to become a model, not dependent on height or size, as there is a market for all sorts of shapes and sizes out there and it’s about time the industry woke up to that.”

Miss Alia says her weight loss has given her confidence and she has now won through to the second heat of Miss Natural Curves UK, and is very excited about her involvement in the competition, which is in association with Miss England.

The winner of Miss Natural Curves, held in April, will go straight into the finals of Miss England 2010 and will win a modelling contract with London agency, Hughes Models.

She hopes the competition could get her into modelling, presenting and acting and help to raise awareness of polycystic ovaries.

Miss Alia, who is currently unemployed, said: “Yes I was bullied, and it knocked my confidence for six, even though I did well at school and got a BA in Business Studies from Leeds Metropolitan University. When a boyfriend at the time encouraged me to go to the gym and lose weight, I got down to a 12/14 which is fine for my 5ft 3in frame.

“My weight has never affected me professionally, but because my original ex put me down so much I’m much more insecure about relationships and have literally been scared of not being a size 10.”

Miss Alia said that last year she had entered Miss Modelzed, another competition, and reached the final 20 but was not confident, due to her history, to carry on in the competition and thought she could not put on a swimsuit when all the other tall, skinny girls could.

She added: “I thought Miss Natural Curves was much more suitable for girls like me and entered to boost my confidence and raise awareness about polycystic ovaries.”