Heart Evangelista opens up about her experience as a survivor of bullying

Before becoming a global fashion icon and local actress, Heart Evangelista had her share of bullies in her teenage years.

The 34-year-old Kapuso Queen of Creative Collaborations recently opened up about her experience in a recent interview with GMA News Online.

READ: Heart Evangelista: A Day at the Grocery

Heart said that she wasn't exactly "a favorite in her school."

"I would eat my lunch by myself and I would have high school students go at me, while I was sitting alone on the bench. I’d walk the covered court and someone would throw a volleyball at me. They would put glue on my chair. It was really bad," she shared.

She said that she never got really depressed about it but she learned how to mind her own business.

"And as long as you’re not doing anything to anyone, it’s OK," she added.

Heart, who landed in the prestigious VogueWorld 100 last year, said that her older sister Camille Ongpauco and her faith in the Lord helped her cope with all the bullying. She shared that she even set up a small altar inside her bathroom, and she would kneel there and pray all the time.

"I would pray and pray that God, you know, make me something and I promise, I promise that I would be nice to everyone in school if I do come back," Heart said.

Heart said that "needed to go through that" as it prepared her for the tough world of showbiz.

After receiving a heartfelt apology letter from one of her bullies on Instagram in August 2018, she said that she was "extremely touched that she even bothered to apologize about something that I wasn’t really holding on to."

"It spoke so much about her character and I really appreciate that," Heart said. —Angelica Y. Yang/MGP, GMA News