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Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev: I Was Bullied When I Was Younger

Find out what she told us about having a "couple of awkward stages"

By Marc Malkin Dec 09, 2013 9:00 PMTags
Nina DobrevRichard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Nina Dobrev may be drop dead gorgeous, but apparently it wasn't always like that.

In fact, the Vampire Diaries star tells E! News, she was bullied for her looks when she was younger.

"I had a couple of awkward stages," Dobrev, 24, said at yesterday's TrevorLive benefit for the LGBT youth hotline The Trevor Project at the Hollywood Palladium. "Now we have hair and makeup. I pay professionals. But you didn't have professionals when you were grade three."

That's when the teasing began, Dobrev said.

"I had a chunky face," she said. "I had a phase where I cut my hair like a boy so kids will find anything to pick on you for whether it's true or not because it makes them feel better and bigger and it isn't until you're the victim that you realize that it's not fun and it's not cool…Until you learn, you can hurt a lot of people."

And look at Dobrev now! She stunned on the carpet in a blue Elie Saab dress and silver bracelets from John Hardy's Bamboo Collection.

It was Dobrev's first time at the star-studded event. "The Trevor Project has helped so many people save lives and hopefully it will continue to save more," she said.

Dobrev attended as a guest of Vampire Diaries creator Kevin Williamson.

Watch: Nina Dobrev Fights Against Bullying