Kate Winslet says childhood bullies called her 'Blubber'

March 23 (UPI) -- Kate Winslet says bullies used to call her "Blubber" during her childhood.

The actress recalled being teased for her weight in a speech Wednesday at WE Day U.K. while encouraging kids "to rise above it at all," according to The Telegraph.

"I had been bullied at school. They called me Blubber. Teased me for wanting to act. Locked me in the cupboard. Laughed at me," she recounted. "I wasn't the prettiest."

WE Day is "a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities," according to the WE Movement website. The event encourages young people "to take social action, empower other and transform lives -- including their own."

"I didn't lock myself away and give up on my dream," Winslet said. "I fought back. I had to ignore the negative comments. I had to believe in myself. I had to choose to rise about it all, and I had to work hard."

"You have to be indestructible to do what you love, and believe that you are worth it. And sometimes that's the hardest part," she acknowledged.

Winslet is known for such films as Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Reader. She had said in an interview with Today in September that her success in Hollywood has been the best "revenge" on her childhood bullies.

"I was kind of bullied when I was younger," the star told host Billy Bush. "For being chubby, and I had girls who were envious of me because I was acting a little bit as a teenager."

"This is my revenge. This right here. This lovely career that I have been blessed with. I have healthy children, I have a really happy life, so it's like, 'Look at me now, girls!'" she said.