Simone Biles has a body that brought her some of the biggest accolades offered in the sporting world.
But it took her some time to learn to love it, as she revealed in a recent article for Today detailing her childhood of being bullied for her muscular arms.
'People would say mean things at the time,' she said. 'They used to call me a "swoldier," which didn't make me feel the best. I wore sweaters or jackets all year long to cover my arms.'
Top of the world: Simone Biles, 20, has opened up about the cruel bullies who made fun of her muscular arms when she was younger
Standing tall: She claimed that the bullies would call her terrible names like 'swoldier'
But while some of the people around her may have said cruel things about her body, her fellow gymnasts were a different story.
'As gymnasts, we look similar to each other, so we've helped each love our bodies because it helps us with what we do,' she said.
'Everybody looked the same, had the same muscular build and we could all do things that other athletes couldn't do.'
Simone specifically named Aly Raisman as someone who helped her learn to accept herself as the incredibly strong athlete she is.
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Teaming up: Simone credited her fellow gymnast Aly Raisman in particular for helping her learn to love her body
Petite beauty: Simone also hit out at people who make comments about her hair and make-up after a cyberbully poked fun at her hair on Instagram
Doing her thing: She explained that she now sees her body as something that helps other girls learn to love themselves
She wrote that Aly helped her realize that she should love herself no matter what and she should do what she likes even if that means sometime not feeling like she has to spent ages on her hair and make-up.
Simone recently was the subject of online bullying after critics shamed her for the way her hair looked after she shared a photo of herself serving as a cheerleader for the day for the Houston Texans.
In her Today article, Simone slammed the critics, saying that 'I can have a lazy day if I want to' and that her athlete's 'lifestyle is kind of always on the go, so we try to do as much as we can.'
Now, Simone explained, she sees her body as something that not only helps her achieve her dreams, but also helps inspire other young women to love their bodies.
It also helps that Simone has plenty of love in her life.
Earlier this month, the Olympic champion documented her New Year's Eve celebration on Instagram, including a sweet aquarium date with her boyfriend and fellow gymnast Stacey Ervin.
The couple started off the day with a big breakfast of waffles, sausage and eggs, as well as coffee in mugs reading 'the king' and 'the queen.'
Happy couple: Simone gave her boyfriend Stacey Ervin a big smooch at midnight on New Year's Eve
Quality time: Earlier in the day the couple enjoyed a romantic trip to the Houston Aquarium
The king and queen: Simone documented the day on Instagram, starting with a couple's breakfast of waffles, sausage and eggs
The pair then wandered around Houston Aquarium on Sunday together and even fed the stingrays together - a moment Simone shared with a video of her giggling away as the creatures jumped up for a snack.
After their date, the pair of young lovebirds enjoyed a party with friends and family, with Simone donning a festive crown bearing the words 'cheers' in glittering letters.
Bit of fun: The couple fed stingrays at the aquarium, with Simone giggling as the creatures popped up for a snack
Cute couple: The pair then went to ring in the New Year with friends and family at a party
Feeling the love: Simone changes into a sparkling outfit and a festive crown for the occasion
Head over heels! Simon Biles first confirmed her romance with fellow gymnast Stacey, 24, back in August
When the clock struck midnight, she gave her boyfriend a big smooch and shared the moment with her 3.4 million followers.
The 20-year-old gold medalist and her 24-year-old beau have been together since at least the summer, having first confirmed their romance back in August.
Simone broke the news by posting a sweet tribute to Stacey on Instagram, sharing a photo of the pair and a caption reading: 'Always smiling with you.'
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