BELFAST glamour model Jade Entwistle is a rising star on the scene.
Looking at the 20-year-old beauty it’s hard to believe she was once the victim of sickening bullies who made her life hell.
Jade Entwistle – Photo by Michael Yeung
Jade was subjected to so much bullying that by her mid-teens she had lost 95 per cent of her hair due to stress related alopecia brought on by the verbal and physical abuse she would receive.
Thoughtless teens would regularly call her “ugly” and tell her she was “only fit to model dog food”.
And at one stage the physical abuse got so bad, Jade was attacked by a group of students in a school bathroom where she was found beaten and passed out on the floor by another student and teacher.
Over time Jade’s life fell apart and eventually she was so embarrassed by her head scarves and wigs that she was afraid to leave the house.
As she battled alopecia the bullies were relentless taunting Jade by calling her a liar on social media and shouting “how’s the alopecia going?” in the streets.
Jade has always had a love of performing and as a child would simulate catwalk shows and pose for photos.
As a child living in County Durham she was encouraged to pursue her love by her grandmother and modelled professionally for big companies like Tesco and Kodak.
But the more successful a child model Jade became, the more other kids would disapprove.
Fighting back the tears she explained: “I was always a poser as a child where ever a camera was there I was pulling a smile or a pose.
“It was always something I wanted to do as I enjoyed being dressed up and photographed, this is where I found I could be myself.
“I was always picked on when I was young and I never could understand why, maybe it was because I stood out in many ways as I obeyed the rules, focused on my studies while doing modelling at the weekends and I was already quite mature for my age.
“I used to sit by myself at lunch time as I never seemed to fit in with a peer group. I had moved into a number of various high schools as I was physically hurt by pupils when in the girls bathroom and boys used to try and trip me up in the hallway corridors.
“They would tell me that I could only ever model dog food because I looked like one and as I got older they would say I needed chicken fillets implying I wasn’t womanly enough to be a model.
“I was told I was ugly. I couldn’t understand how people could be so mean to me.
“The worst of it all was when I tried sticking up for myself I was washing my hands in the girls bathroom and didn’t look up and within a flash a group attacked me and left me on the floor slightly passed out until a pupil found me and teachers were called to my rescue.”
The bullying became so bad that Jade began to fear leaving the house.
“As a result of the injury to the back of my head I was left very shaken and my self esteem began to plummet, I couldn’t go anywhere without my grandmother” she said, adding: “I had started to become a victim within my schools and this took toll on my mental health and physical wellbeing.
“From being hit, pushed, called names and feeling invisible I then took the fear of going into school every morning.
“I used to beg and cry I don’t want to go in, it got to the point I had to walk home to get my lunch so that I had some peace at mind.”
And eventually the bullying had so big of an effect that Jade began to become mentally and physically ill.
Forced out of school, in the hope of getting some relief from the bullies, Jade was then subjected to further bullying online and in the streets in her town.
She said: “In the end I took alopecia and lost 95 per cent of my hair where I had to be homeschooled from one of the schools I was moved to.
“But they didn’t stop there they tried contacting me over social media. I was called a liar and when I was seen in the streets with my grandmother they would point and laugh at me, this would distress my gran and me.
“Gradually I lost all my confidence because I had to wear wigs and headscarves. I hid away and became seriously vulnerable within my mindset.
“I was an emotional wreck for being such a bubbly young girl to becoming somebody scared of going out and trying to make friends.
“I felt like I had no purpose in life and that I was supposed to be a victim.
Eventually Jade and her grandmother went to the authorities to report her abuse.
But it wasn’t until she returned to Northern Ireland to live with family that she was able to begin rebuilding her life.
She said: “I turned to my grandparents who then tried there best to stop it and then it went on to pastoral support who sent me to self esteem classes and gradually I realised that the only time I wanted to be in school was when I went to the self esteem classes as I met other people in a similar situation and we started to support each other.
“I combated bullying by going to the authorities and I had to take a restraining order out on one girl who would not rest until she saw me in pieces, this made people realise that I was not prepared to take anymore.
“Eventually I moved over to Northern Ireland and started to act the way I wanted to and stopped listening to what people were saying about me.
“That’s when I realised what I wanted within my life and continued to work towards my goals to become a happier person.
“Looking back, what I went through has definitely made me stronger today and made me who I am within my personality and life.”
Despite their attempts to break Jade’s confidence and her ambition – the bullies haven’t won.
Earlier this year she was signed by fellow Belfast glamour model Laura Lacole to Frontier Models.
Frontier Models, owned by Laura, is a new UK and Ireland modelling agency catering for fitness, fashion, lingerie and glamour models.
Jade said: “Laura brings diversity and an equality to the modelling industry, what she and the agency stand for suits what I want to achieve with my career. I hope that by signing with the agency I will get the opportunity to pursue my glamour career on the international stage.”
And in June Jade was the only model from Northern Ireland and Ireland invited to Europe’s answer to the Playboy Mansion in the Portugese island of Faro.
Every year glamourvilla.com invites some of the UK and Europe’s top glamour models for some sun, sea and sexy photoshoots.
Although the pain of her bullying experience will never leave her, Jade says she’s moved but hopes that one day she can confront her bullies.
She said: “If I could speak to them now I would ask what made them hate me so much and what did I do wrong, but at the same time thank them for making me who I am today.
“If anyone else has experienced what I have or any kind of bullying I would strongly advise them to do their best to stop it. If they can they should speak to an authority figure.
“Don’t let anyone stop you doing what you want or make you feel worthless because you are worth much more than you think.”
Meanwhile Jade’s career goes from strength to strength.
She said: “I’m doing my modelling full time but I plan to go back into my education as I want to open my own dance/fitness company.
“My plans for 2015 is to make it even bigger within my career widen my opportunities and take everything that comes at me that will make me happy.”
To find out more about Jade log onto www.frontier-models.com.