I am not an ugly duckling!

You have heard of Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen's story of a cygnet being harassed for being an ugly duckling, haven't you? A British journalist Anne Chisolm believes Andersen wrote the story to describe himself . Andersen was said to be a tall, ugly boy with a big nose and big feet, but he grew up with a beautiful singing voice and a passion for the theatre and it has been speculated that the famous author was also the illegitimate son of Christian Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark. The swan in the story is supposed to be a metaphor of his inner beauty, talent and secret royal lineage. All said, I have to admit I have no royal blood but then, I am no ugly duckling!