The 23-year-old, who weighs 140kg, says she has long suffered taunts about her weight and, after years of teasing, decided she was going to ignore her critics and be happy, Radar Online reported.

“At school, people commonly called me ‘fat’ and ‘Fatty’. The worst was ‘Garbage Disposal’ because people thought I ate too much," she reveals.

“But I don’t remember anything more than that because I’ve tried to let them go and remove any negative forces in my life."

Victoria entered herself in the Miss Plus America pageant after seeing an interview with last year’s winner on Facebook.

And, despite not winning the national title, she was given a confidence boost by being crowned Mrs Utah American Beauties Plus 2013.

“I used to watch the Miss America pageant as a child and wish I could be one of those girls," Victoria said.

"I had decided that I was never going to be skinny enough or pretty enough to do that so, year after year, I would watch them and continue to wish."

When she saw the Miss America Plus interview, Victoria says, “My first thought was, 'Wait a minute: plus?' I realised I had a chance to be one of the girls I thought I would never be skinny enough or pretty enough to be."

Victoria says she has been filled with confidence thanks to the competition.

“It has turned me from a girl into a woman and given me the strength to accept myself and shine,” she says.