A reality TV star has opened up about the burden of being beautiful and says the way she looks has resulted in her having no authentic friendships

A reality TV star says being blessed with beauty was actually a curse.

Leylah Linda, hailed for being a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, said the main sacrifice of being attractive is having no real friends.

The former Ex on the Beach contestant claimed this was because nobody appreciates her for who she is on the inside and that both men and women try to use her.

Writing to her 119,000 followers on Instagram, she said: “It’s a lonely world being beautiful. People either wanna f*** you, be seen with you or take from you. They don’t like you for you, it’s only because you’re pretty. And it’s facts.

“So tired of it. Sometimes you just want to be normal and have real people in your life who love you for you. Not for your beauty.”

Leylah believes she was destined for a life of glamour ever since she was 15 – when her mum told her she could be the next Marilyn Monroe after being crowned the Hastings Carnival Queen.

She has embodied the legendary Hollywood actress ever since and has built a modelling and TV career from her enviable looks. But after her emotional online post, we asked Leylah about why she felt the need to share it on her Instagram story.

And giving examples of the downside of her glamorous image, she said people 𝑠e𝑥ualise her and assume she has no brains.

She added: “All through my life I have had issues with maintaining relationships and also friendships because of my beauty.

“I have had a lot of jealousy coming from women and also men. I believe the reason is because I was born to be a star and others cannot cope with this. I’ve got the biggest heart and am willing to help anyone in need and unfortunately being beautiful people take advantage of this in many ways.

“I feel like life would be easier if I was more normal looking. For one I feel like I would have genuine people around me who love me for who I am and not just for my beauty and fame like in recent years.”

She said being attractive makes her more vulnerable and that she can’t enjoy herself in public as much as her peers – due to the extra scrutiny it brings.

But despite saying people constantly take from her, she added: “I wouldn’t change how I look for the world. But at times I do feel lonely and I wish I was looked at in a way that I wasn’t taken advantage of.

“I will continue to stand my ground and be the strong beautiful woman I am and for other women to look up to me.”