Dubbed the "multicultural Miranda Kerr", her glamorous life hides a difficult past.

Growing up in Hoppers Crossing, her Eurasian appearance made her a magnet for bullies.

Her exotic beauty is a result of her father's Pakistani and Saudi Arabian roots and her mother's Lithuanian and Australian heritage.

"There was a point in school where it was a negative time for me because of how I looked and my skin colour," she said.

"I was bullied and there was a lot of derogative terms used against me and I stopped going to school.

"It is a very hard thing to go through, bullying, and my self-esteem was very low. But today I use that to my advantage."

She said she hoped to use her experience to help young people facing similar challenges.

"In the future I really want to go to schools and talk to children about bullying because I have experienced it," she said.

"When you are a kid it is very hard to understand why it is happening and there are feelings of embarrassment, or you are scared, and I would really love to talk to children and let them know there is help out there."

Shaik has gone from strength to strength since she was runner-up in TV's Make Me A Supermodel.

She has posed for Victoria's Secret, strutted the catwalk for Chanel and now is flying the flag for Just Jeans.

She has made a habit of proving the doubters wrong.

"A lot of people said I could not do high fashion because of my look, or because I am too sexy, or because of my eyes.

''It is always something. And then just after the Victoria's Secret show I booked the Chanel show and did my first shoot for Vogue."

Shaik said she was thrilled with her Just Jeans role.

''I am a very T-shirt-and-jeans type of girl. I've grown up with the brand, but what I also love about Just Jeans is that it is for everybody. It is for any age, shape and size."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/shanina-shaik-leaves-bullies-in-her-wake/story-fndo4cq**

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