Celebrity Big Brother's Jermaine Jackson visited Sussex to promote a new anti-bullying campaign.
Mr Jackson joined pupils from Birchwood Grove, Burgess Hill, at The Olympos leisure centre for the launch of the national Nobull campaign.
This year's Celebrity Big Brother was plagued by allegations of racist bullying.
Mr Jackson was often the mediator in the house when rows broke out between winner Shilpa Shetty and fellow housemates Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara, and Danielle Lloyd.
Mr Jackson said: "I want to say thank you for giving me this opportunity to be here.
"You have a wonderful campaign and I am here to support you.
"What was most important in our household was respect - respect for each other, for my mother and father and not to disrepect them.
"That still stands today with my family."
Martial arts expert Matt Fiddes, 27, who is behind the campaign, said: "I have known the Jacksons for years and Jermaine and I talked about launching the campaign before he went into the house.
"Obviously with what happened it just seemed timely to do it now.
"Jermaine talked to the children about adopting the right values throughout their lives, why bullying is bad and how by being nice to people gets you places.
"He is such a great guy and is very much against bullying. It seems fitting that he is going to help me to launch a nationwide campaign."
Mr Fiddes, 27, owns a chain of 400 martial arts schools across the country.
He decided to launch the Nobull campaign because he was bullied at school.
He said: "I left school with no qualifications because of the bullies. I want to show kids that you can be a success, that school is not the be all and end all, you can still achieve so much."
The campaign will be touring schools around the UK with Jermaine's support.
Mr Fiddes said: "I am hoping to get other celebrities on board.
"We go into the schools and I tell the kids my story and then we talk about respecting each other and treating each other properly.
"Kids today have role models like 50 Cent, Eminem, and Britney Spears, I don't think these are good role models.
"Jermaine is a great person for people to look up to.
"He really knows how to handle himself, he is the head of his family, he is a very level guy.
"He has been surrounded by controversy his whole life. He knows how to deal with difficult situations."
For more information go to www.nobull.org.uk
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