Tammin Sursok: Bullies taught me ‘self-love’
Tammin Sursok’s childhood bullies helped her learn "how to self-love".
The 33-year-old actress – who was bullied for being overweight as a child – believe the difficulties she has faced in life have pushed her to learn "persistence and resilience" and hopes that her three-year-old daughter Phoenix, whom she shares with her film producer husband Sean McEwen, will be able to "exhibit these traits" when she gets older.
Asked what she had learnt from her experiences with bullies, Tammin said: "I learned how to have tough skin. I learned how to rise above adversity. I learned how to value and respect myself. Even though it took me a long time, I learned how to self-love. Even though on the outside our lives might look easy, I’ve definitely been through a lot of tumultuous experiences from school and during my career.
"My whole life, especially my career, has been one big rejection, so I’ve had to really learn persistence and resilience and fortitude. Phoenix is already exhibiting these traits and I think if she just watches how we navigate our lives she will be stronger because of it."
And the ‘Pretty Little Liars’ actress would love to be able to tell her younger self to "stop worrying".
She added: "I would tell my younger self to stop with all the control issues. I think we all think that we can drive our own destiny, and as much as we can to a certain extent, sometimes you just aren’t in control.
"I spent a lot of my younger life worrying about the future and the past. Worrying is like being a rocking chair, moving but not going anywhere."
Meanwhile, Tammin believes success is defined by freedom and health.
Asked by TheGraceTales.com what success means to her, the brunette beauty said: "To be happy. To have enough so that we have freedom. And to be healthy."
