Mali Levi Says Childhood Bullying Left Her with Low Self-Esteem

In a preview for tonight’s episode of "Dancing with the Stars" on Keshet 12, Israeli model and actress Mali Levi speaks openly about a childhood marked by bullying and a lack of self-confidence. Levi, who has been in front of cameras for more than two decades, says the wounds from those years still affect her today.

Levi says modeling was the first thing that helped her believe in herself. "I did not experience myself," she said. "It sounds very strange, but I think modeling really helped me develop confidence. I was not a girl with high self-confidence." Asked whether confidence usually develops in the opposite direction, she replied, "It does not work that way at all. Only when I started modeling and seeing myself in photos did I begin to believe that I am okay."

She added that even now, it is not always easy for her to say positive things about herself. "On a hard day it is difficult for me to say that," she said, linking that struggle to the bullying and childhood feelings that she was "not enough." Levi said she has also tried to turn the pain into something constructive, explaining, "Because of that, today I know how to work very, very hard. I am truly diligent. So at least I got something good out of it." Her personal confession comes just before she takes the dance floor tonight and shows another side of herself to the public.