Rugby legend Peter Stringer has told how he was bullied over his height as a youngster.
The 5ft 7ins player admitted he took a lot of flak when he first took up the sport, but he refused to take growth hormones.
The 43-year-old said: “I got stuck into rugby at five or six years of age, my parents brought me up to the local club.
“Look, you were bullied because of your height. I was always the smallest and nothing has changed now.
“I had a full head of hair and a lovely mouth full of teeth so you are bullied for a number of reasons.
“Inside, it gave me that drive, that determination to prove people wrong when they said, ‘You are too small, you will never make it’.”
The former Dancing With The Stars contestant opened up to Angela Scanlon on her RTE show last night about his career playing as a scrum-half for Ireland and Munster.
He added: “All these kind of moments in my youth I have no doubt made me who I am today.
“In terms of playing until I was 40, being dedicated to training, my mentality, the mental strength around just helped me get to where I am.
“That resilience, when someone tells you you can’t do something, what’s the first thing you do? You go out and try and do it and prove them wrong.”
And he told how his parents were on the receiving end of some criticism for letting him play such a physical sport. Peter said: “Not only I got grief, my mum and dad got a serious amount of grief.
“I wasn’t really aware at the time but the other parents would have a go at my mum and dad and would say, ‘Look, you are being very irresponsible parents, why are you putting him out there?’
“So mum and dad came to me and said there is this treatment you can get done [hormone].
“A friend of my mum’s, her son had it, and I just remember going to bed the night before and just thinking, ‘I cannot go through with this thing’.
“I was genuinely just so happy with who I was. It didn’t affect me whatsoever being small.
“I saw it as another challenge. I learned to tackle like everybody else. I was committed and you had those people who said, ‘Watch out for him’.
“All those little positive moments in your life you kind of bring along with you on your journey.”
