IN the hit reality series Glow, Jo Ferry shows off her bubbly personality, she's outgoing and is probably one of the funniest characters on screen.

But behind her reality persona, Jo is a young woman who suffers from a great deal of pain. For the 26-year-old has been diagnosed with a condition known as Scoliosis.

And with the month of June dedicated to raising awareness of the condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve, Jo hopes she can become a figure in the public eye for other young people with the same diagnosis to relate to.

"I am in pain everyday, it just depends on whether it is absolutely excruciating and I am off my work or if it is manageable," Jo, who stars in the show which is Glasgow's answer to The Only Way Is Essex, explained.

That pain is something she has dealt with since the age of 17, when she was first diagnosed with Scoliosis.

The social media manager, from Paisley, said: "When I was 17, all of a sudden I was in horrendous pain with my back.

"I couldn’t figure out what was causing it and initially my mum thought it was because I was carrying a lot of heavy books to school."

She added: "We blamed all these trivial things and when I started to look at my back, I noticed there was a curve."

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Jo, whose boyfriend is Drumchapel lad and fellow Glow star Dean Doyle, above, went to the doctor who referred her to a physiotherapist.

While waiting on a physiotherapist, she decided to see a chiropractor privately, and she was diagnosed on the spot.

She said: "They told me I had Scoliosis. They said it can be hereditary but no one in my family has got it.

"They, however, asked me if I had been involved in an accident growing up and I was in a car crash at the age of five. A drunk driver smashed into my mum. They believe that has been the cause of it."

Jo explained that the condition is usually diagnosed in sufferers at a young age. In those cases, surgery is offered as a fix. With Jo, however, receiving her diagnosis in her late teens, she has no other option but to live with it.

She said: "I went for all sorts of tests and they categorically ruled out surgery because it is too risky. They can do the surgery on a young person because they are still growing but my spine was already set that way."

Jo admits that the diagnosis and the fact it could not be fixed was initially disappointing at the time.

She said: "I remember being very upset at the time. I just felt like this is never going to go away now. I was so very aware of myself physically.

"I have been told by many doctors, mine isn’t a textbook case. A lot of people who have Scoliosis, their curvature goes over their top half and their bottom half are moving opposite ways.

"My spine is actually twisted. If you look at me side on, and I point it out, you can see my ribcage at the right hand side comes out at the back and my left rib cage comes out at the front."

She added: "I have been quite lucky that cosmetically mine isn’t that bad. I am personally very aware of it because it is there and I am constantly looking at it.

"I have been through a lot of pain management courses. Ultimately everyone is different, and what helps me is massages and I take pain killers."

Jo admits being thrown into the limelight has made her confront her image especially on the reality series she has been the star of for two seasons.

She said: "I have always been a very body conscious person and I think seeing me on Glow, you would think nothing phases me. I come across as very confident because in my personality I am very confident.

"When it comes to looks, I am the same as every girl or female for that matter. Every female has doubts about their appearance whether it is their hair or make-up.

"When I am set aside with this bunch of girls on the show who have all done modelling before and they are all gorgeous, it is difficult."

Jo, however, received a confident boost when she took part in a competition in Ireland two years ago.

She explained with her family originally coming from Donegal, she was able to represent Glasgow in the Mary from Dungloe International Festival.

She said: "I represented Glasgow in 2015 and my year was the first year to be televised on Sky. I knew I was putting myself out there.

"As it happened, it turned out amongst that group of girls there was 13 of us – three of us including me all had Scoliosis and I had never known anyone else who had it."

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She added: "Now one of those girls Abby Bonner (above) is one of my best friends. She lives in Ireland but we keep in touch constantly and we support each other through it as well. As much as I say to people, 'oh it is sore'. They have no idea how sore it can be. I'll talk to her and she will understand what it's like."

Glasgow Times:

Jo, who is gearing up to film the summer special of Glow, hopes she will able to highlight her condition on the show. While filming is on a break, however, she has delved into the world of modelling as she was recently appointed as a model for retailer Honeyz' campaign for real women.

She said: "I am breaking out my comfort zone and showing you can do anything. I have Scoliosis but I work full time, I've got a boyfriend, I am on Glow and I'm modelling. I have modelled for Honeyz now and that is something I never thought I would do."

For more information on Scoliosis, visit http://www.sauk.org.uk/

To contact Jo, visit https://www.instagram.com/jo_glow/