Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is the first to acknowledge her striking smile rates among her more prominent physical features.
"You may or may not have noticed I have a pretty grand smile," she said during a tell-all interview with Newshub's Ryan Bridge at her Auckland home.
But she also revealed the problems which came with that smile during her teenage years.
"Before I had braces I had pretty buck teeth so yeah, I got teased a bit about that.
"I got a bit teased, but not bullied," she added.
Ms Ardern classed herself as an "acceptable nerd" during her high school years and was quick to point out that the teasing she endured is nothing compared to what young people experience today.
"I see bullying now and that far outweighs anything I ever had," she said.
"I was a pretty robust teenager, it was just teasing. You wouldn't be able to find anybody in New Zealand who hasn't been teased. Except maybe Richie McCaw."
Ms Ardern says she was lucky to have the support of close friends during high school; friendships she says still endure today.
The full interview, part of Newshub's 'At Home with the Leaders' series, goes live at Newshub.co.nz from 9pm tonight.
The series seeks to understand and get to know the two leaders vying to become New Zealand's next Prime Minister.
Newshub.
