Chloe Cullen, 19, said her unhealthy relationship with food started when she was bullied for being a little chubby at the age of seven.

The former Benjamin Britten High School pupil said her mum tried to get her help then, but she felt the professionals ended up focusing on the fact that her sister, Jade-Louise, was seriously ill with cystic fibrosis.

Chloe, of Higher Drive, Lowestoft, said: 'It didn't get bad until I was 12 and my mum got my teachers to supervise me every break and lunchtime because I was throwing away food and hiding food under my bed.'

But Chloe's weight dropped dramatically when she was about 14 or 15, when her sister was ill in hospital and was compounded by her role as a young carer for her mum too.

She said: 'When things got bad at home I was turning to my eating disorder as a coping method.'

Chloe was diagnosed with EDNOS - an eating disorder not otherwise specified, and although she got help, Chloe felt it was more directed at just ensuring she physically returned to a healthy weight, rather than helping her to overcome her food phobias.

Chloe, whose sister died last November, said: 'It's a shame I didn't get the early intervention when I was younger because I could be normal now and do the things that other people do.

'I'd stopped eating dairy products and now I have problems with my bones and joints because the lack of calcium has affected my development.'

Taking up photography as a hobby has helped to put Chloe on the long road to recovery, as well her family's support, and Beat's helpline and website.

But she still has food phobias and cannot physically eat more than a child-sized meal.

Chloe, who dropped out of sixth form college because of her eating disorder and now works in Gregg's, wants other young people in a similar position to know that there is hope for them to recover.

'Recovery is possible. But professionals need to focus more on the mental side of the illness rather than just the physical side.

'People should be able to access the help they need no matter what age they are.

'Early intervention is needed.'