A teenager is having the last laugh at bullies who made her life a misery after reaching the finals of a national beauty competition.

For years, Amy Barker suffered abuse by schoolyard bullies, who teased her over her appearance.

But now the 17-year-old from Elm Court, Wilsden, is putting the taunts behind her after landing a place in the Miss Teen Galaxy beauty competition.

She has already been crowned Miss Teen Galaxy Bradford and will compete in the national finals in March.

Amy, who is studying A-levels at Bingley Grammar School, said: “I feel really happy that they chose me for the final. I am not typically pretty, but now I think I am beautiful in my own way.

“Even if I don’t win this it will be fun and it will boost my confidence.”

Speaking about her time at school, she said: “They used to say horrible things about me. I was called mono-brow and they used to say I was a nerd and a swot. They would also throw stones at me.

“It made me really self-conscious. I didn’t have any self-confidence and I was really shy around strangers. It still affects me now, but I am getting a bit better as I get older.”

Amy, who plans to study costume design at Queen Margaret’s University in Edinburgh, said she wanted to spread the message that beauty was more than skin deep.

“If I saw the bullies now I would ignore them,” she said. “I would tell people in the same situation as me being pretty is not the most important thing. You don’t need to be pretty to succeed.

“You have got to keep your head held high, carry on and not listen to what the bullies say. You will always come out better than they do. Just remember things will get better so don’t give up.”

Read more on this story in today's T&A