"You love the bull so much that you want to help them show off their courage and their grandeur in battle. It is painful for us to send them off anonymously, without glory, to die at the slaughter house," she said.
Unlike many other bullfighters, Barcelo holds a high school diploma but dropped out of university to concentrate on bullfighting. Today, she is enrolled in the corrida school in Arles, has fought several bullfights in Spain, limits her social life and conducts rigorous daily training.
"She is raising the bar for the boys," her trainer said.
She takes on odd jobs to survive financially, mindful that only the world's top 50 bullfighters actually make a living at their trade. And she has the wholehearted support of her parents who, with relatives, offered Barcelo her first "suit of lights" on her 18th birthday.
They admit they fear for her every time she enters the ring but accept that "this is her passion."
Barcelo knows she must "do the best possible" at this weekend's novillada de la feria, a holiday bullfight using animals under four years old, to land future engagements.
Her mantra when she steps into the ring, she said, will be comments from two of today's most famous matadors, Morante de la Puebla and Sebastian Castella, applauding her bravery during a recent training session in Spain.
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