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Jeremy Clarkson Says Being Bullied Made Him 'Sharpen Up'

Jeremy Clarkson Says Being Bullied Made Him 'Sharpen Up'

The presenter says he overcame it and became a success

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about his formative years, during which, he says, he was bullied.

The former Top Gear presenter says he was picked on for two years during his time at boarding school, but that he overcame it to become a success.

Speaking on the Andy Jaye podcast, the 60-year-old revealed that he was made to lick toilets clean and that one child defecated in his tuck box.

And though he accepts that it was horrible and that others who experience bullying can suffer with it for a long time after, he says it had the opposite effect on him.

He said: "The first two years I got bullied, and I have to be careful how I phrase this, I don't necessarily think in my case the bullying I got for the first few years was a bad thing.

"I think it sharpened me up and brought me to my senses. I appreciate that for many, many, many people bullying is horrific but it just wasn't for me particularly."

Jeremy Clarkson revealed that he was bullied as a child.
PA

Adding: "I mean it was horrible to suffer from it but I look back and I am grateful for what it made me become, if that makes sense."

The Grand Tour presenter went on to reveal that he was expelled from his school, much to his delight, and that it set his course to become a household name.

He shared that after leaving the school, a man on the side of the road asked him what he was doing.

And when he told the man that he had been expelled, the stranger said: "Ha, well you'll have to be a journalist then."

Clarkson added: "So that was lucky I bumped into him because I hadn't even considered journalism."

The 60-year-old said he understands bullying is an horrific thing for many people.
PA

If you're a fan of Clarkson - aren't we all? - you will be able to settle in this Christmas for a couple of celebrity editions of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? - which will see the host go head-to-head with former nemesis Piers Morgan.

The pair fell out after Morgan published a story while the editor of a tabloid newspaper about the former Top Gear presenter's personal life.

According to reports, they eventually patched thing up.

The Good Morning Britain presenter is one of a number of celebs who will be facing some tough questions from Clarkson.

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Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK Entertainment, Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear