A man from Bristol who experienced bullying at school for his small frame has now become a massive bodybuilder.
Iliya Tsikov, now 24, claims he was forced to support his struggling family at the age of 13 by selling sandwiches at school, where he was badly bullied for three years.
But despite being bullied by classmates, Iliya wanted to help his parents out with the extra income.
Iliya said: "When I was 13 I was bullied for two or three years and I took all the pain without doing anything about it.
"I was also selling sandwiches at school before I started going to the gym to support my family.
"I started doing it out of fear, I wasn't actually helping to feed my family as my dad was doing whatever it takes to put food on the table every month.
"However, I knew they were fighting a lot because of money, so I thought if I had some savings I could help as I was so helpless at that age and couldn't do anything."
Iliya began going to the gym aged 16 after becoming fed up of being bullied for his small frame.
The excessive pain and anger led him to want to change and he's never looked back since.
He added: "Pain can sometimes affect you in the same way as motivation. It gives you a lot of strength and energy when you have so much pain.
"Back then I was so angry and felt so much pain that I wanted to change so badly that I just decided to change, I'd had enough.
"That's when I started working out and since the first time I worked out, I've never stopped."
He said the financial situation had put a strain on his parents' relationship and that more importantly than the money, his actions made them think about why he had been trying to raise it, which eased the strain.
Sadly, Iliya's dad passed away in November 2021, but this has encouraged him to support and look after his mum even more than before.
Iliya, who lives near Harbourside, Bristol, said: "My dad passed away and I feel I have no choice but to support my family now.
"My mum is on her own and in a way, I really want to be there for her, and that's my main motivation right now.
"Knowing that she is a lot more vulnerable than me is what keeps me strong and it's why I'm so motivated because I want to bring her happiness again in her life.
"You see it's not just you, but the people around you that you help and inspire, that's where I find my motivation the first these days."
Featured Image Credit: BPM Media
Anish Vij