She has been dubbed the ‘world’s ugliest woman’ by cruel cyber bullies, but in fact Lizzie Velazquez suffers from a condition so rare, only three other people in the world are known to have it.
Lizzie was born without adipose tissue, meaning that she has no fat throughout her body. Despite eating high-kilojoule meals every 15 minutes to stay alive, she weighs a very delicate 26kg and looks anorexic.
The 23-year-old Texas college student has been the target of bullies and cyber bullies her entire life and used to let it get to her. Now, she is taking a stand against them.
“At the end of the day, these are just words. If they are so proud, then they should show their face,” she tells Dr Drew Pinsky in a brave interview on his show Dr Drew.
While Lizzie says she has come to realise that cyber bullies are simply cowards hiding behind a computer screen, she also has to deal with people face-to-face.
“I’m starting to want to go up to these people and introduce myself or give them my card and say, ‘Hi, I’m Lizzie — Maybe you should stop staring and start learning’,” she reveals.
Lizzie has written two books about her experience. Her first Lizzie Beautiful was co-written with her mum, and her new book Be Beautiful, Be You is out September 13.
See a Lizzie’s interview in the video player above.
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