Comedian with dwarfism overcomes bullying: ‘Unstoppable me’

By George Mathias via SWNS

A comedian with dwarfism has hit out at the UK's attitude towards her condition - saying she was left "humiliated" and "never felt more disabled."

Tanyalee Davis, 52, moved from the U.S. to work in schools as part of an anti-bullying campaign.

But the 3ft 3ins performer has since gone back to the States - growing tired of the mistreatment.

She says she had particular problems on trains - even being singled out by a guard during one incident in which he told the rest of the train she was holding everyone up.

GWR, who was in charge of the service, said at the time they were “collectively horrified.”

“We got it wrong, it made no sense, a wheelchair space is a wheelchair space, it’s not for luggage or pushchairs,” a spokesperson said.

Tanyalee, who is now living in Florida, said: “I’ve never felt more disabled than living in the UK.

“It was the general attitude, from train staff to taxi drivers. They would often tell me they didn’t have a disabled ramp.

“I found the attitudes way more debilitating over there [the UK]."

Tanyalee, who uses a mobility scooter, claims a train guard once announced to passengers that she was causing delays.

She says we was told to move from an unreserved spot on the train after a young mom asked to use it for her pram.

When Tanyalee refused to move, the guard threatened to call the police and gave a public announcement on the train - telling passengers that “the woman with the mobility scooter" was causing a delay.

She said: “It was humiliating, and I cried all the way home."

Tanyalee added that the way authority figures would speak to her made her value how much free speech she has in the U.S.

She said: “In the UK I felt like the attitude was very much, ‘No, sorry you can’t do that.'

“It played with my head and didn’t realize how beat down it made me. I felt like a second-class citizen

Tanyalee says it’s regrettable that she came over to the UK on a mission to help prevent bullying in schools - and ended up getting bullied.

She said: “I tried my best to raise awareness and fight the good fight but there’s only so much you can do battling an entire system that doesn't give a s***.”

“I came over to make people laugh, but the whole time I was there I was being bullied, that’s the irony of it all."

However, despite her negative experiences on public transport, Tanyalee says she still has a great love for the UK's cultural scene.

She said: “The UK scene embraces different styles.

“I love the freedom of British comedy and British people in the main don’t take themselves too seriously.”

Tanyalee has a TikTok profile - with three million followers - that documents her life since returning to the USA.

She recently posted about how she had finally had some bespoke shoes made, after 52 years of hobbling around on shoes not appropriate for someone with dwarfism.

Tanyalee has also pioneered her own motivational catchphrase, "unstoppable me," which has struck a chord with her fans.

Ten people have even had the phrase tattooed.

She said: “That’s what I wholly stand for now.

“No more victim mentality, I’ve realized that you are the only one that can help you.

“My act has changed, I’m now a storyteller, and I talk about things I can do.

“It helped me change my mindset back to one of positivity."