Growing up, the Danish star wore a corset to correct her scoliosis and orthopaedic shoes because her right leg was longer than the left one. At school, she was teased for her height of 6’1” (185 cm), with children calling her “giraffen,” she told The Guardian.

Then she was hired as a model. “When I was 16, I was seen in Copenhagen by a model agent who spotted me and crossed the shop to talk to me,” Brigitte said. “I couldn’t believe it, but that job made me stand up straighter. It gave me some firm confidence.

“But of course, having been bullied for 10 years, in your young years…that never really leaves you.”