I’m A Celeb’s Melvin Odoom's traumatic bullying ordeal and how he overcame it

Melvin Odoom thanks teachers at Dukes Aldridge Breakfast Club

Former  I’m a Celebrity star Melvin Odoom has opened up about their traumatising bullying ordeal in high school and how they have used it to their strengths.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ – who was partnered up with Magic Breakfast – shot to stardom in the early noughties after he landed a presenting gig on children’s television.

He began his TV career working on CBBC shows such as The Slammer and Dick & Dom in da Bungalow before he moved over to radio.

Since then, the 44-year-old broadcaster has been DJing and a regular presenter on Kiss FM and BBC Radio 1 as well as performing for thousands of people at festivals such as Wireless.

Last year, the broadcaster won over the nation when he went into the ITV jungle where he endured two weeks of hell before becoming the fourth contestant to be eliminated from the competition.

Melvin Odoom has opened up about his bullying ordeal at school (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the TV personality. In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Melvin has opened up about his difficult high school experience in partnership with the children’s charity.

He told us: “I used to get bullied as a kid because I’ve always been really small, and at school, I was even tinier. One story that sticks out in my head was there was a young kid who had a watch which was given to him by his barber and he wore it backwards on his wrist.

“One day he punched me in my chest and the watch broke, and he said to me, ‘Melvin, you broke my watch and you now need to pay for a new watch’. And he would look for me every single day and take my lunch money and I was completely terrified.”

It was this difficult experience in school that pushed him to seek shelter in the school theatre where he discovered a passion for entertaining.

He went on: “I used to hide in the theatre, which is probably why I had that connection to the theatre as well. It's so strange [being bullied].

The traumatising experience affected him into his adulthood (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

"You don’t want to tell your mum, you don’t want to tell your dad, you don’t want to tell the elders that are looking after you because you’re just so worried.

“And when you’re bullied it’s completely amplified, but I remember having my food taken away and being scared by this individual at the same time.”

The reality star went on to admit that the experience greatly impacted his confidence all the way through and after he finished university.

Melvin continued: “When I finished uni, I used to still feel very weird about speaking about it because always felt like this kid had control over me, even as a young adult after university.

“So now I do anything to stop bullying because you don’t just get bullied at school now, kids get bullied in their houses, on phones, on WhatsApp.

The DJ defended himself by using humour to protect himself (Image: Channel 4)

“My godson was getting bullied on a game through his headphones and he was really, really upset so I went to his school – not to go and say anything to anyone but more for support”.

He went on to share how the kind words his friends and family had given him had “empowered” him in his childhood, something he passed on to his godson.

The TV presenter went on to explain how he overcame his bully’s cruel words by making everyone around him laugh. He explained: “It's just amazing how much you can empower someone with words, because that’s always been my weapon.

“For me my weapon has always been my humour because if I made someone laugh, they left me alone. That was my experience as a young person and I had some great memories as well, but the bullying is something that always kind of stuck in the back of my mind and has had a massive effect on me.”

The TV presenter has teamed up with Magic Breakfast – a charity that provides a safe space for children and young people and aims to ensure no child goes to school hungry to learn – ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week.

Speaking about his work with the charity, Melvin revealed: "I actually went to a school in my local area and I used to work with young people in a youth club in East London.

"So, when I was contacted by Magic Breakfast, I thought it was a great thing to be involved with because I've actually taught myself and I know how important it is for a young person's concentration when they're fed.

"One in five kids suffer from food insecurities of some kind and 83% of teachers have said that charities like Magic Breakfast has really helped to impact their children in a positive way.

"I just feel like our young people are quite often forgotten, which is why it's so important that we have stuff like children's mental health week."