Vertigo actress Kim Novak says that cruel jabs about how she looked during this year’s Oscar ceremony amounted to bullying that left her crushed at first, but then determined to speak out in protest.

Kim Novak, 81, has called the treatment she received following her Oscars appearance “bullying”.

Following her presenting stint at the Academy Awards, Kim Novak was subjected to jibes about her looks, including a tweet from Donald Trump.

“I will no longer hold myself back from speaking out against bullies. We can’t let people get away with affecting our lives,” the actress wrote in an open letter.

She admitted she had “fat injections” in her face.

Following her presenting stint at the Academy Awards, Kim Novak was subjected to jibes about her looks

“In my opinion, a person has a right to look as good as they can, and I feel better when I look better,” Kim Novak wrote in a Facebook post.

The actress added: “We need to stand up to them [bullies] in a healthy way by speaking out, working out and acting out. I am speaking out now because I don’t want to harbor unhealthy feelings inside me anymore.”

Kim Novak told the Associated Press that she did not leave her house for days after the ceremony, and the criticism she received “really did throw me into a tailspin and it hit me hard”.

She was also critical of the comments made about actress Liza Minnelli during the ceremony, when host Ellen DeGeneres jokingly mistook her for a male impersonator.

Kim Novak blamed her halting speech during the ceremony on taking medication to “relax”, which she regretted.

She said she had walked away from the Hollywood industry many years ago because of the immense pressure it had placed on her, but felt ready to return to the spotlight.

“When I was honored at the Cannes Film Festival last year, I received an overwhelming standing ovation,” she wrote.

“Yet, in Hollywood, after the Oscars, I was bullied by the press and the public on the internet and TV.”

Kim Novak said she felt the time was right to “address the elephant in the room” publically for the first time after appearing at a film festival and speaking about it openly.

“I realized that I had to stand up not only for myself but for other people that don’t have the courage to do so,” she said.

“I feel like I have a mission.”

Kim Novak presented the award for best animated feature at the Oscars 2014 on March 3.

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