Showbiz
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The 22-year-old Australian swimmer, who won three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said that she found school "hard" because she was not slim like the other girls in her class.
Rice told New Idea magazine: "School was hard for me. I was always quite chubby, never the popular girl. I experienced the chubby calls and people making remarks like 'loser'. I was so shy and not confident in myself.
"It was fortunate I had swimming and a great group of swimming friends, so I had something else to get me through. It was great to have an escape.
"As hard as it was to go through, it makes you aware of how you treat people and it humbles you. I'm glad I went through it as it turned me into the person I am today and helped me relate to people."
More: Stephanie Rice, Showbiz
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