Madonna believes her success is due to the years of bullying she endured at high school. The singer was branded a "weirdo" by classmates in the 1970s, but their taunts only pushed her to be stronger and more creative.

"I wasn't a hippie or a stoner, so I ended up being the weirdo," she tells the latest edition of Vanity Fair magazine.

"I was interested in classical ballet and music, so the kids were quite mean if you were different. I was one of those people that people were mean to.

"When that happened, instead of being a doormat, I decided to emphasize my differences. I didn't shave my legs. I had hair growing under my arms. I refused to wear makeup, or fit the ideal of what a conventionally pretty girl would look like.

So, of course, I was tortured even more."