I got really bullied at school because I didn't understanding why the kerbs were painted red, white and blue.

"I thought it was a race track. People said, 'No, it's because it's a Protestant area'."

Rea, who was born a Protestant and lives on the Isle of Man with his Australian wife Tatia (37), conceded that it "seems funny now", but the bullying he was subjected to was horrible at the time, and he was constantly threatened with violence.

"I never took part in school sport or played rugby on a Saturday because I went to motocross," he recalled.

"I remember being threatened all the time that I'd get beaten up. The worst was that I would get stabbed on the way to the bus."

Rea, who has two sons - Jake (4)and Tyler (2) - saw one of the bullies a few years ago.

"The baddest kid said hello to me in my local petrol station," he said.

"He was stacking shelves there and I was racing in the world championship.

"I thought, 'You've ended up here'.

"I guess he's not the same person he was back then."

Rea said he was delighted to have made the SPOTY shortlist - the first motorcyclist to do so in a decade - and added that sport is an important tool for bringing communities together in Northern Ireland.

"Whether it's Rory McIlroy in golf, Carl Frampton in boxing, the Northern Ireland football team, Ulster Rugby or myself on the bikes, it brings the whole place together. This country is incredible," he said.

"Sport gives the entire community something to