![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/joanne-pictured-aged-six-underwent-843426606.jpg\")
\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/552b1a36-27bd-4b01-a58d-13b99348d797.jpg\")
\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/joanne-pictured-aged-four-born-843426602.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA WOMAN who was cruelly taunted for her nose has learned to embrace her special features.<\/p>\n
Joanne Charlton, 24, Huddersfield, was called \u201cpig nose\u201d in the school corridors by bullies.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
Eventually, due to the abuse, she stopped going to school altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She says: \u201cGrowing up I suffered years of abuse by school bullies who blighted my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey called me \u2018pig nose\u2019 and \u2018no nose\u2019. It was awful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI barely left the house – worried what people would say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-23874571-1694185587745.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-23867903-1694168818664.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I no longer care what people think and I finally feel confident in my own skin. I want to encourage others with facial differences to feel that too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joanne was born with a cleft nose, when the nose is split into two halves.<\/p>\n
The condition occurs early in pregnancy, when the two halves of the head do not join together as they should.<\/p>\n
As a youngster, Joanne was aware that she looked different to other children.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The business and marketing graduate says: \u201cMy parents used to tell me I had a \u2018special nose\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhile children sometimes stared at me, I didn\u2019t let it affect me and was a happy child.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI loved performance and dancing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A facial cleft may cause some symptoms such as affecting breathing, and surgeons tend to start surgeries at a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n From the age of six months, Joanne underwent multiple corrective plastic surgeries to improve the appearance of her nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n But when it was time to go to secondary school, Joanne, then aged 11, was reluctant to attend.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne says: \u201cI was scared of being bullied. I knew there would be children there that were much older than me.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But the bullying that Joanne experienced was far worse than what she ever imagined.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n She remembers: \u201cWhen I walked down corridors, students would stare at me and call me nasty names like \u2018pig nose\u2019 and \u2018no nose\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurt that they said such awful things, when my condition isn\u2019t my fault. All I wanted was to fit in.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne\u2019s confidence started to plummet and eventually, by aged 14, she started skipping school.\u00a0<\/p>\n When anxiety symptoms kicked in, she stopped going out on her own in public.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thankfully, Joanne still managed to pass all her GCSE\u2019s and went to college to study health and social care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But her fellow students continued to call her names, so she moved colleges and studied business.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne says: \u201cI decided to put all my energy into doing well in my education.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNothing was going to stop me from achieving my goals.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n After college, in July 2018, aged 18, Joanne had her sixth surgery which left her with new scars and a dent in her nose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite this, she was happy with the results – until another bully commented on her looks.<\/p>\n Joanne says: \u201cOne night, I went out with friends, and a stranger told me my nose looked broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of that, I decided to have another surgery a year later, to correct the scarring.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat changed my appearance massively, and thankfully, no one ever bullied me again.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne\u2019s confidence began to improve from the age of 20, when she went to the University of Huddersfield to study business and marketing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne says: \u201cIt was there that I decided not to have any more surgeries. I\u2019d had seven over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy appearance wasn't the most important thing about me, compared to my intelligence and compassion towards others.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, Joanne doesn\u2019t hesitate to go out in public, and loves going out with her boyfriend and to concerts with friends.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n If people are ever curious about her appearance, she\u2019s much more comfortable talking about it and just explains her condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne says: \u201cI\u2019m the happiest I\u2019ve ever been.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI no longer care about what people think about me and embrace my facial difference. I want others to do the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBeauty is skin deep and that\u2019s what matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-23831898-1694002332311.jpg\")
<\/picture>\u2018MISSED BY ALL\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\nMum dies after reaction to \u2018tiny\u2019 dog bite while looking after friend\u2019s pup<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-23830930-1694004528938.jpg\")
<\/picture>H2NO <\/span><\/p>\nThe ‘silent’ symptoms of dehydration & heatstroke you might miss in your child<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/TM-comp-Health.jpg\")
<\/picture>ALL NATURAL <\/span><\/p>\nFrom Aloe to Zea, the best herbal remedies and what they can do for your health<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/RW-GRAPHIC-oral-healthv2-1.jpg\")
<\/picture>OPEN WIDE <\/span><\/p>\nSigns of diseases hidden INSIDE your mouth – from cancer to HIV & how to check<\/h3>\n
Read More on The Sun<\/span><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lb-nsfw-kylie-comp.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKylie cuddles up to boyfriend Timothee Chalamet during intimate NYFW dinner<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nThe ‘silent’ symptoms of dehydration & heatstroke you might miss in your child<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/joanne-pictured-aged-23-bullied-843426597.jpg\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/984a6699-c909-47f7-b0dd-5503d7144cbb.jpg\")