A bearded woman who endured years of bullying and almost attempted suicide has spoken about her new-found body confidence.

Harnaam Kaur, 24, of Berkshire suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome and first started growing a thick facial hair at the age of just 11.

She tried to wax, bleach and shave the hair which had also started coming through on her chest and arms but finally decided to stop after being baptised as a Sikh, a religion which forbids the cutting of body hair.

Speaking during an appearance on This Morning, Harnaam said: “At the end of the day, I love myself and the way that I’m formed.

“Going through primary and secondary school with the facial hair, kids can be nasty. It led me to self harm and wanting to take my own life.”

She was a split second away from taking an overdose with a handful of tablets when she decided to channel her negative energy into something more positive.

“It take a lot of strength to say, ‘I want to kill myself’,” Harnaam said. “A split second is all it took. That thought process really empowered me to just carry on with life.

“I’m more spiritual now than I am religious, I live my life the way I see fit. I stand for what I am. To be labelled as a woman you can look however you want.”

Harnaam is now working on a campaign to show that name-calling has a big impact with anti-bullying charity Fixers and appears in a short film with her brother.

“The reaction has been amazing and people have found it so powerful,” she said.

See more at: www.happenings.com.ng