The Bachelor NZ season three runner-up Lily McManus has shared her journey to accepting her hearing disability in a series of emotional videos on social media.
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The reality TV personality shared the story of discovering her hearing impairment with her 142,000 Instagram followers, aiming to inspire hope in others.
"I have a hearing impairment, quite a big one. I wear hearing aids," she explained.
The 21-year-old recalled how she discovered she couldn't hear one of her schoolmate's ringtones as a teen, prompting her to tell her mum, "I think I'm a little bit deaf."
An audiologist confirmed that McManus had spent "15 years only hearing about 60 percent" and needed hearing aids, but she initially found the news difficult to accept.
"I was like, 'No. there's nothing wrong with me, f**k you, f**k the world'", she said.
"I spent another three years being angry about it.
"I refused to believe that I had a disadvantage in this world. I felt so powerless about it, which is stupid."
Warning: the embedded content below contains coarse language.
McManus said it took a lot of time and effort to come to terms with the situation, but she feels it's made her a better person.
"I'll never have 100 percent normal hearing," she said.
"It might get worse; I might be deaf by 40. But if I am, that's okay, because I've spent all this time accepting it, and being the best version of myself."
Now, the self-described 'Bachelor wash up' is hoping to use her platform to encourage other people in a similar situation.
"If I can help anyone just by speaking out, and by being loud and proud in public about my disability, I've done my job," she said.
"My inbox is always open and I'm always happy to talk."
Newshub.
