‘DWTS’: James Maslow On Overcoming Bullying

James Maslow shared his story of being bullied over his weight when he was a kid, during Monday’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I was kind of a chubby kid for a little while,” James revealed in footage leading up to his dance on Monday night’s show.

When his “DWTS” partner Peta Murgatroyd suggested he was cute back then, James shared more about his painful past.

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“It was cute until it wasn’t cute… ‘cause it just wasn’t fun because I was being picked on,” James said. “Kids did messed up stuff, did malicious stuff.

“Being called ‘pudgy’ or ‘fat’ made me feel like the world was against me, made me feel like I didn’t have many or sometimes any friends,” James continued. “It did get to the point where I had to actually switch schools. … It’s not fun to be bullied.”

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Monday’s “Dancing” celebrated the stars’ most memorable years and James picked 2007, the year he cites as the one he was able to overcoming bullying.

“I was able to look at it as like, this is motivation to move forward and just work harder and I wouldn’t have booked Big Time Rush had I’d not done that,” he said.

James then took the floor with Peta, performing the jive to “The Middle” from Jimmy Eat World. The pair received 36 out of a possible 40 points (there was one additional judge on Monday – Robin Roberts of “GMA”).

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