STANDING at more than six feet tall, and weighing around 16 stone, it might be hard to believe that international rugby player Gareth Thomas was once the victim of bullying.
But at Moulsham Junior School the 40-year-old spoke to pupils of his own experience of overcoming school bullies who teased, hit and spat at him, in an assembly to mark national Anti-Bullying Week.
Gareth, who played for both Wales, and the British and Irish Lions, told students from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 that he'd never let the abuse get in the way of his sporting ambitions.
"When I was your age I had a really big dream, and my dream was that I wanted to play rugby. I worked hard, and I had lots of dedication but things got tough for me as I started getting bullied," he told students.
"People used to pick on me, they punched me, and spat on me but I beat all the bullies and carried on to become a rugby player."
Gareth, who was born in Sarn, Bridgend, and started his career at Pencoed RFC, visited the school as part of his work backing a campaign called Balls to Bullying run by Prospero Teaching, a national teaching agency, which has taken him all over the country running workshops and school assemblies.
"I understand the effects of bullying both short-term and long-term. I was a child once; people who see me now don't understand I was the same size as them.
"Bullies perceive that weakness and attack. I think you have to show a bit of vulnerability and show that this can happen to anybody, so they understand the effects," he added, while watching a tag ruby match played by the primary school pupils.
"I'm not just coming to talk about it because I care, but because I was a victim of it too. I love working with the children and that has to come across. People don't give them credit for how intelligent they are, how emotionally intelligent they are, because they're growing.
"I don't come as a teacher but somebody with a life experience, who is willing to share that with the children so they can become better at school and better at life."
During his two 20-minute assemblies the sportsman, who was the first professional rugby player to announce he was gay, talked pupils through ways to communicate that they're being targeted by bullies, the importance of looking out for one another, and the 'three Hs' to show support – a handshake, a high five, or a hug.
He also touched briefly upon cyber bullying with tips on how to collect evidence by printing out screens of conversations, and blocking numbers on a smartphone or tablet.
Moulsham's personal, social, health and economic education co-ordinator, Katie Barclay, added: "I think it's been a real success, it's been great for the children to have such a positive role model. Gareth gave the children some important messages about anti-bullying, friendship and self-esteem."
