Mother-of-two Khatra Paterson owns a successful aesthetics clinic in the heart of Cheshire and has spent more 30 years in the medical profession.
Her life now in the leafy suburbs is a far cry from the ordeal she endured as a child.
At just 10 years old Khatra, who was raised in Scunthorpe, was flown to Somalia and forcibly subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) for cultural reasons after thinking she was going on holiday.
Khatra, who is dyslexic, was determined to change her life through education and seize every opportunity that came her way.
With two degrees to her name Khatra has her own aesthetics business.
And she campaigns to raise awareness in the fight against FGM, which is still routinely carried out in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
In some cultures FGM, a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood and considered a pre-requisite for marriage.
Khatra said about the brutal practice, which has been illegal in the UK since 1985: "It oppresses people in so so many ways and the end goal is to get married and have children.
"I went through FGM and I got away from all of that.
"I've had to use education and my end goal was to be a strong, independent woman."
Khatra, whose first job was working in a McDonald's in Scunthorpe, went to nursing college and a career in midwifery and health visiting followed.
She has worked with charity One Woman At A Time, who help girls in Africa to get an education, after her harrowing experience.
She left the NHS in 2014 to work in aesthetics, specialising in skin and laser treatments at her clinic in Hale.
And the 53-year-old, who is happily married with two sons, is proud to be helping other women to feel good about themselves.
"For me its important to give women back their femininity and help them take back control of their bodies," she said.
"You don't have to suffer in silence."
Khatra, the owner of KP Aesthetics previously on Broomfield Lane, Hale has teamed up with her friend The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Seema Malhotra to open new premises in Park Road.
The pair have been friends since their boys went to nursery together.
Seema said: "We need to make time for ourselves.
"My skin was so bad going through the menopause and the clinic has helped me with my skin.
"Going through that myself I want to make it okay to talk about it."
