An anorexic was left close to death after starving herself on just 17g of Rice Krispies a day - then walking for up to ten hours to burn off the calories.

Laura Munday, 19, from High Wycombe, was just 13 when she developed the eating disorder, which saw her weight plummet to six stone and her hair begin to fall out.

At the height of her illness Laura's hair fell out, her periods stopped and she was so skeletal she would develop bed sores if she sat down for too long.

After battling the disease for years, Laura was admitted to an eating disorder clinic for three months and now weighs a more healthy eight-and-a-half stone She is now studying social work at university in Oxford and is even modelling part-time as she slowly rebuilds her health.

She said: "I would look at myself in the mirror for hours and all I would see was a grossly fat teenager. I especially hated my legs. I thought they looked huge.

Glasgow Times:

"The thing is was I was about nine stone, a size 8 and 5ft 7ins - so exactly the right weight for my age and size, but that didn't matter to me.

"I am so glad I managed to overcome my disorder, but I know others are not so lucky.

"I want to tell others that there is another way - obsessing with your weight is a dangerous way to live your life."

Laura's obsession began at 13 when her mother Sara, 49, a nurse, went on a diet and began cutting out certain food groups.

She decided to do the same - but went further and by the time she was 14 she had had an eating disorder.

She said: "I wanted to lose weight so started to walk as much as possible, it started with an hour a day but after a few months I was walking up to 10 hours a day.

"I cut down on my portion size to begin with, then started skipping meals, and pretending I had eaten food somewhere else, if anybody asked.

"As you can imagine my social life and school work really suffered - I shut myself off from everybody else, including my family. I obsessed about my weight and nothing else mattered."

Her family became concerned but she assured her mum, dad Paul, 52, a glazier, brother Dean, 24, and sister Claire, 27, that she was fine.

Laura said: "My mum was constantly asking me if I had a problem. I assured her I was alright, but I wasn't.

"I lost all my friends and eventually I had to leave college when I was 15.

"By then I had cut down my food intake to a 17g portion of Rice Krispies in the morning and occasionally a Weight Watchers sandwich for dinner.

"And if I did get a sandwich I would cut off the crusts and only eat half of it."

Laura's family became increasingly worried about her and could see how thin she looked, even though she tried to conceal her weight by wearing baggy clothes.

However, it was impossible to hide as size 6 jeans hung off her frail body.

"Eventually I had to admit to my family that I had a serious condition and it was killing me," she said.

They acted immediately and she was admitted to an eating disorder clinic in Swindon when she was 15.

She spent three months being treated with a meal plan and was weighed twice a week to ensure she was gaining weight.

When she woke up on her 16th birthday she felt strong enough to discharge herself.

But Laura said: "Looking back, it was maybe a bit too soon, but I needed to get out - I couldn't face another day on the ward.

"My family were a long way away and I missed them."

She was still able to sit her GCSEs after managing to catch up with her studies, and has won a place at Oxford Brookes University to study social work.