Teenager taunted for Britain’s Got Talent success vows to help others beat the bullies

A TALENTED teenager who was bullied so badly she had to pull out of Britain’s Got Talent has vowed to use her music to help others going through a similar ordeal.

Charlotte Williams, from Penzance, Cornwall, faced months of torment from cruel bullies after her singing caught the eye of the ITV show’s producers.

The now-15-year-old became the target of jealous classmates after they discovered she’d auditioned for BGT and won a place in the third round.

The insults got so bad Charlotte quit the competition and never got a chance to sing for the judges.

Her tormentors made her life hell until mum Victoria pulled her out of school and placed her in a special unit for vulnerable children, many of whom had also been bullied, away from the nasty taunts.

Now Charlotte intends to use her harrowing experience to help others affected by bullying through her music.

She explains: “The bullies would tell me I was fat, ugly and couldn’t even sing. They made me feel totally worthless and I dreaded going to school each day.

“Singing was always the one thing that made me feel good about myself, but in the end, I couldn’t even bring myself to do that.

“I’d started to believe they were right, that I couldn’t sing and I didn’t deserve success because of the way I looked.”

Charlotte, who was left with a mild disability after a traumatic birth, had been happy and confident in primary school.

But things all changed when she started at St Ives School in Cornwall, in 2012, where she became an easy target for bullies.

Charlotte’s mum Victoria, 43, says: “The problems at Charlotte’s birth have meant things are more difficult for her than they are for others and she can be quite clumsy.

“She just wasn’t ‘cool’ enough for the other kids, always late catching up with the latest trends and seeming much less mature and streetwise.

“She’d also had a stoma fitted after a bowel operation which needed special attention when she was at school – another thing that marked her out as different.”

She adds:  “At first, her classmates would just exclude her so she didn’t have many friends and she’d often eat her lunch on her own.”

But it was when word got out that she’d auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent and made it through the first two rounds that the silent treatment and whispers of ‘weirdo’ turned to open name-calling and cruel insults.

Charlotte says: “It wasn’t just one group of people, everyone was in on it. Even children lower down the school joined in, calling me names and laughing at me whenever I walked past.”

The bullies even targeted a Facebook page set up by Victoria to promote Charlotte’s singing, filling it with nasty comments.

The crunch point came when Charlotte rang Victoria from her mobile phone from a school toilet cubicle in 2013.

Victoria recalls: “She was sobbing her heart out, begging me to come and get her, and in the background I could hear some girls shouting that they hoped she’d get throat cancer so she could never sing again.

“I got straight into my car and went to pick her up, stopping at the school office to tell them she wouldn’t be coming back.”

Since then Charlotte has had counselling to rebuild her confidence.

She has also become an ambassador for the charity Family Lives, whose Bullying UK helpline supported her in the early days, and regularly speaks in schools about the long-term effects of bullying.

Charlotte admits: “It hasn’t been easy and for a long time I didn’t want to leave the house, but I’ve turned a corner now.

“I’ve realised all the nasty comments said more about the bullies and their jealousy than they did about me, and I’ve been able to start singing again.”

Charlotte has recorded a song for Bullying UK about her experiences, called Stronger, under her stage name Lottee Brown, and hopes it will help others in the same situation.

She says: “If my song helps just one person realise they are not worthless and they will get through it, then I’ll be happy.”

The school, which is now under a new headteacher, says bullying has been stamped out after a raft of improvements.

A statement reads: “The safety and happiness of our students is of paramount importance and we have a dedicated team of staff who provide support and advice to students and families.

“We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality care and support for children. We have a clear and rigorous policy and approach to dealing with any instances of bullying and high expectations and standards for student conduct.

“All organisations have to be vigilant and robust in dealing with bullying or harassment and we are unable to comment on specific cases.

“Our school has undergone significant changes and improvements over the last two years and the Governors and School Leadership Team are deeply committed to ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education as a valued member of our safe and caring school community.”

For help and advice about how to deal with bullying, call the Bullying UK helpline on 0808 800 2222.

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