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Tori Spelling recently opened up about her daughter Stella’s emotional struggle with bullying and the anxiety that accompanied it in a heartfelt post to social media last Saturday. However, the 48-year-old actress revealed that the story had a happy ending, with her 13-year-old daughter discovering modeling and regaining her confidence after years of brutal harassment. Taking to Instagram to share a photo of her daughter grinning while holding a “Stella’s First Day Of School” sign, Spelling detailed in the caption how the budding model was able to find herself after years of “painful” bullying.
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In a lengthy caption, Spelling wrote, “Stella is an amazing human. Heart of gold & always leads w/kindness. She’s innovative & creative and full of fire. Which is why as a mom it was so painful to see a young woman’s fire dimmed bc of bullying. Her bullying started in 5th grade in Encino. Sadly, the boy that bullied her and other girls & boys wasn’t stopped. His parents were on the board. They gave the school a lot of $. Sadly $ won out over the emotional care of the kids.”
Spelling then went on to describe how the bullying began to take a physical toll on her daughter, manifesting in “headaches, stomachaches, panic attacks” and increased asthma. According to Spelling, the bullying made such an impact that her daughter missed extensive amounts of school, relying on her love of baking to carry her through.
However, when Stella was accepted to be on Master Chef with Gordon Ramsay, the principal at her school rejected the alternate track, revealed Spelling. “Except this principal said NO (SHE had to sign to allow her). Why? Bc your kids miss too much school. After all stella had been thru w/the boy this principal refused to expel, she wouldn’t let Stella fulfill a day of her passion? So sad. I begged the principal. She finally said “I’ll sign if your family leaves this school next year”.
The actress continued, “I agreed in tears so Stella could do Master Chef. Well, Stella WON!! I had never seen her confidence like I did that day! Her [fire] was back. That’s the lesson we should be teaching! To encourage our kids to find their individual passions & thrive!” Spelling continued , “Sadly, [the] principal followed thru. Stella would never graduate with her class. I wish I’d had the strength to challenge them!” Because her daughter did not graduate from that school, Spelling thanked the modeling organization Petite n Pretty for her daughter’s “powerful & fulfilling “school” moment!”
Spelling completed her caption by writing, “Your fire is back @stella_mcdermott08 You are a fierce female. So proud of U Buggy!” The former 90210 star and her husband, Dean McDermott share five children together after getting married in 2006. Stella is the second oldest of their children, with Liam, 14, Hattie, 9, Finn, 8, and Beau, 4.
