Nicola McLean was dubbed "ugly pirate" at school.

The glamour model was forced to wear an eye patch following corrective surgery on a squint, making her a target for bullies who mocked her appearance.

Her mum Margaret told Heat magazine: "She became quite self-conscious when she was at school because she had a bad squint in one of her eyes.

"Eventually she had corrective surgery on it but that meant she had to wear a patch for a while.

"After that, the bullying got even worse and the kids started calling her an 'ugly pirate', which used to really upset her."

Nicola has admitted to her I'm A Celebrity... camp mates that she is never seen in public without make-up and her mum believes it stems from her insecurities over her childhood bullying, as well as taunts from fellow glamour models.

Margaret added: "She was bullied by other models who would say she wasn't good enough.

"Nicola always likes to wear make-up on her eyes to make them look bigger.

"Maybe the whole squint thing made her think her eyes weren't attractive and that eye make-up would make them look better and less squinty.

"It makes me feel sad, she's such a great girl, she has no reason to be insecure."