AT only 20, Nikki Webster has had many career directions, something she says has just made her stronger.

Webster and her brother Scott, 23, are to open a performing arts school in Sydney, a new direction for the girl who first caught the eye at the Sydney Olympics.

She told Confidential she had had some "incredibly tough times" in the past few years after coping with constant backbiting.

"I’ve been scrutinised for doing nothing, basically being pure," she said yesterday.

"Just because I wasn’t on drugs and not in rehab, people didn’t want to know me or give me a chance."

After doing Dancing with the Stars, her career was at crossroads.

She sat down and weighed the pros and cons of staying in the industry.

"The cons far outweighed the pros, but I didn’t want to go and do a nine-to-five job," she said.

This was despite some of her family advising her to go to university or get a normal job.

"My family couldn’t understand why people were so mean," Webster said.

"When they saw me cry, it hurt."

But she’s upbeat about the future.

"I can remember watching Cathy Freeman light the flame and thinking, ‘I’ll be 21 when the Beijing Olympics come around’."

Source: The Herald Sun