Actor Luke Evans opens up about childhood bullying

Luke Evans shared that he struggled to survive as a teenager because of bullying. Photo / AP

Luke Evans “struggled” to “survive” as a teenager.

The 44-year-old actor “suffered” during his secondary school days because he was the target of bullies, and he found it hard to find a group to feel like he “fit in”.

He told Observer magazine: “Bullies made my life hell in my teens, and it got worse as I got older. I loved to learn, but secondary school wasn’t pleasant. Surviving was a struggle. I felt I didn’t fit in anywhere, and suffered.”

The Beauty and the Beast actor is proud of himself for making the “strong and courageous” decision to move away from his family in order to have a fresh start when he was just 16 years old.

He said: “I left home and Pontypool at 16 and moved alone to Cardiff. I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness and had questions the Bible couldn’t answer. It was tough to walk away from everything and everyone I knew.”

“I was a gay kid with nobody to talk to. I started again on my own entirely.

“Looking back now, I see how strong and courageous that teenage boy was. Good on him.”

Evans is proud of himself for making the “strong and courageous” decision to move away from his family at 16 years old. Photo / AP

Evans isn’t afraid to admit he has a temper, but he’ll always apologise for lashing out.

He said: “I have a temper, but it rarely shows itself. Usually, it’s when I’ve lost control of a situation and I get stressed. And normally it’s short-lived, and I’ll immediately apologise rather than hiding from it.”

And the Nine Perfect Strangers star can always rely on a refreshing nap to help reset his mood.

He admitted: “The littlest of naps calm me down. I can fall asleep quickly, almost anywhere, and wake up shortly after, revived entirely. I often have one just before a performance.”

But Evans confessed to having a “tragic” habit of getting emotional while watching dog videos on Instagram.

He said: “Dogs on Instagram make me cry. I know, tragic. Last week, I watched a video of a puppy being rescued from a gutter and given a whole new life. It destroyed me.”