Zara McDermott wants to return to her old confident self.
Zara McDermott vows to get confidence back
The 26-year-old reality TV star has admitted trolling has taken a toll on her in recent years but she has vowed to ignore the haters as she takes to the dancefloor on 'Strictly Come Dancing' with professional partner Graziano Di Prima.
She told The Sun newspaper's TV biz column: "I’m fighting for this — so I’ll channel the confident bikini babe from 'Love Island' when I’m on the 'Strictly' dancefloor.
"I’m trying to live my 21-year-old, no-care attitude and channel the inner confidence I think is key for this show.
“From being in this industry 100 per cent, all of a sudden lots of people are commenting on how you look and stuff like that.
"Sometimes when I’m doing the routine, I can hear that little voice in my head going, ‘Don’t mess it up!’
"But I’m trying to change that voice in my head to be like, ‘No, you know what you’re doing.
"Don’t be scared. You are confident, you’re fighting for this.’
“I only get to do this experience once in my whole life. Now I want to feel like I threw absolutely everything into it.”
Zara - who has appeared on 'Love Island', 'Made in Chelsea' and 'The X Factor: Celebrity' - admitted she used to be much less self-conscious.
She said: “I didn’t give any thought to wearing a bikini in front of the nation when I was on 'Love Island', I was 21 and at that age you just do it.
"The thought of being in a bikini never really crossed my mind, I just felt at one with myself.
“It’s hard to describe, but I never had those feelings of lack of confidence back then."
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