Cole Sprouse says his brother was a 'really big bully' to kids at school

Cole Sprouse has recalled how his brother Dylan was a 'really big bully' to kids at school while the pair were growing up.

Playing the more rebellious Zack in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Disney fans grew up knowing Dylan as the naughtier of the two Sprouse brothers - the one whose character picked on his brother and was usually the one getting them into trouble.

The pair started acting from a young age, racking up credits in Adam Sandler's movie Big Daddy as well as in Friends, where they both played the same character - Ross' son, Ben.

Though they were living many children's dreams by appearing on TV, the twins did also have to get an education.

Dylan has previously explained that he was mostly homeschooled while growing up, though the pair did at times attend a public school - where Cole has made clear that Dylan was not the most loved student.

While reflecting on their time as child stars during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Cole said many of the kids they went to school with 'didn't really care too much' that they were actors, but they still didn't have the best time in school because Dylan was 'a huge bully'.

"Our navigation through elementary school and middle school, we were like f**king d**ks," Cole said.

Elaborating on his brother's behaviour, Cole continued: "He would beat them up, and then I became known as the twin that would come up and be like 'I'm so sorry for my brother'.

"Everyone knows that he was a bully."

Dylan himself has previously spoken about his behaviour in an interview with the New York Daily News, where he admitted he was 'mostly a bully' in public school.

“I was not a good kid,” he said. “And I was always in trouble. And I was dealing with a lot of stuff at home that I was bringing to school and taking out on other people.

"And it wasn’t until I was kind of … in a nurturing environment where I became a much better person, for lack of a better way to describe it. … In high school, I was a very, very different person than I am now.”

Cole admitted that there were some similarities between the brothers' behaviour in real life and their characters on The Suite Life, saying he thought the writers 'took a lot of cues from [their] actual personalities'.

If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm Saturday and Sunday