Ileana recalls being body-shamed at 12

Ileana D'Cruz opens up about being body-shamed since she was a nchild. She says that it 'takes a lot of inner strength' to convince oneself that 'what they are saying does not matter'.

"I remember those days like it was yesterday. It is weird because it is a very deeply ingrained scar. I went through body-shaming right from the time I was 12. I had just hit puberty and growing up. You are hit with these weird comments. And people are passing comments about your body and saying, 'Oh My God, why are you so big?' And I am like, 'What do you mean?' You think you are fine and then suddenly you have random people saying things about you and you start to believe what they are saying. So I think it is a deeply ingrained scar because you are carrying it for so many years. It takes a lot of inner strength to tell yourself that what they are saying does not matter. What your feel about yourself is most important and it is something I tell myself every single day," she says.

D'Cruz adds, "I have at least 10 messages that I can find on my 'Instagram' about body shaming for sure. So there is always going to be somebody saying something about you and it is harsh. I would like to tell people to be kinder more sensitive because they do not understand how much it can affect somebody else. The only thing that is in your control is you and how you think about yourself."

"So I would constantly just tell people your opinion about yourself is what matters the most. The hell with the world, the hell with what they think. Only your opinion matters. You are someone who is going to live with your body. There are days when I am like, 'I do not like this. Is my stomach too bloated?' But now I am like, 'No it is fine. There is a uterus in there so it is fine. It is alright. It is not going to be flat," she shares.