Strictly Come Dancing competitor Ricky Whittle has revealed that he faced so much racist bullying as a child, that he often wished he was white.

Whittle faced the worst of his bullying when his dad was stationed in an RAF base in Northern Ireland. He claimed that he “must have been one of the first black people in the whole country”.

Speaking to 1Xtra, he explained: “Growing up at that time, I didn’t want to be black because I was bullied and I’d tell my mum that I wanted to be white like everyone else at school.

“She just said, ‘Listen, when you’re older you’re going to really appreciate this. You don’t want to be the same as everyone else, you want to be different and you want to be unique’. It has happened that way and I’m enjoying my culture and my background.”

Whittle continued: “I don’t think there is a ‘normal’ British person now. I think it was just the fact that I was young and kids do point out differences when they’re younger and latch on to those things.

“I don’t think [bullying is] worse if it’s racism or whether it’s about your weight or your glasses, because they’re all things you can’t change, it’s who you are.”