Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis was told the heptathlon "might not be the right event" for her when she was younger and says despite her sporting prowess she has a lot in common with other women.
The athlete, who clinched gold on the day that became known as Super Saturday, also said she is "not ruling anything out" when it comes to the next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast about her autobiography Unbelievable, the golden girl said she has never let her small build hold her back from achieving her athletic ambitions.
Ennis took gold on 'Super Saturday' at London 2012
"As a child I was very small and skinny and that was something a lot of the girls picked up on a lot, and that was a bit of a stressful time for me.
"And then coming into the heptathlon I experienced that same situation, because again I'm the smallest within that group and there are a lot of big, strong, tall girls, and I suppose I just wanted to touch on that, and show that I might be Olympic champion, but I experienced the same things that a lot of other young girls experience at school and in the workplace, or wherever it might be, so I'm just hoping some girls can relate to that."
Ennis revealed that had she listened to the advice of some people when she was younger, she would not be where she is now.
Ennis enjoys the Team GB parade through London in September
She said: "A lot of people did say to me, 'the heptathlon might not be the right event for you, because you are small, you'll struggle with the high jump and some of the throwing events', and that is a massive motivator in itself to say that now I can actually do this and you don't have to be a certain body type to be good at an event and to prove people wrong."
Although it is just months since the highlight of her career was watched by millions at London 2012, Ennis remains focused and hinted she might be back on the track at Rio 2016.
"I'm definitely not ruling anything out. I think four years is a very long time and I think I'm just trying to focus on next year and then the year after, and before we know it I'm sure Rio will be here," she said.