Will Poulter and Tom Daley open up about being bullied as part of new back to school campaign

'I remember these kids tied me up to a fence and took turns throwing stones at me trying to see who was going to hit me in the head'

Will Poulter, Tom Daley and Peter Andre have spoken out about bullying as part of a new campaign aimed at students going back to school this September.

As part of the initiative, which was launched by The Diana Award, the celebrities involved have shared some of their own experiences of being bullied, with some anecdotes including sexual harassment and physical abuse.

Daley, for example, recalled returning from the Beijing Olympics in 2008 to classmates making fun of his swimwear. “They would throw stuff at me at lunchtime, it became a thing that diving was becoming a burden,” he said.

Meanwhile, broadcaster Cathy Newman spoke out about the shocking behaviours of some of her male peers. “If you were a girl and wore a white t-shirt, the girls would get a fire hose and spray you down so they could see your underwear,” she explained.

Former Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh revealed how she shared a room with six or eight girls at boarding school who would tie a polo stick to the door to see if it would swing and hit her in the face when she opened it. “That was the joke,” she remembered, “to see if they could break my nose”.

Even “Mysterious Girl” singer Andre recalled being an “outcast” when he was growing up in Australia, explaining that he suffered physical bullying. “I remember these kids tied me up to a fence and took turns throwing stones at me trying to see who was going to hit me in the head. They were laughing and calling me a ‘greasy w**’, it was horrific. I was really scared, I was petrified.”

Research conducted by The Diana Award via a Survation poll found that more than half (57 per cent) of young people have been bullied at some point in their school lives.

The campaign is calling on people to share their experiences and offer advice on social media under the hashtag #Back2School alongside an old school photo.

The Vamps guitarist James McVey, who is one of the celebrities involved in the campaign, advised students to “try and remember that we are each equal in being different, and that’s something to be celebrated”.

Meanwhile British bike racer Danny Buchan suggested everyone “be more thoughtful and kinder to each other”.

Alex Holmes, deputy CEO of The Diana Award, said of the campaign: “Young people spend 11,000 hours of their lives in full education. School should be safe and free from harmful bullying behaviour.”

Holmes explained that by spreading awareness in this way we can change behaviours and attitudes to send the message that bullying is unacceptable.

“Our vision with the help of government, schools and the public is to reach every single one of the 34,000 schools across the UK”.