A brave mum-of-three is speaking out about a rare and painful medical condition that makes people think she's obese.
Natalie Hanks, from Aintree , noticed her legs started swelling in size when she was just 11.
But it would take another 20 years for her to be diagnosed with lipoedema, a severely painful medical condition that causes an abnormal build-up of fat cells.
The 32-year-old said: "I absolutely hated myself. I experienced hurtful comments all the way through school and I was bullied for how I looked.
"I've always covered up when I was out, meaning I've never worn shorts or skirts.
"My husband says I’m beautiful, but other people were just like ‘go to the gym’.
"Even a family member told me I had a 'shelf on my bum' but everyone thought that, even me."
But despite altering her diet and exercising, none of these healthy changes had any impact on Natalie's weight as she ballooned to a size 22.
The condition causes a lot of pain to sufferers due to inflammation and extreme discomfort.
This is because lipoedema causes the thighs, buttocks, lower legs, and sometimes the arms to become enlarged due to a build-up of abnormal fat cells.
The feet and hands aren't affected, which creates a 'bracelet' effect or 'band-like' appearance just above the ankles and wrists.
Natalie said: "Because I'm smaller on the waist, but larger below I do get stared at. At restaurants, I’ve had people make comments.
"Online comments, even aimed at other people, also really affected me - no one knows a lot of the time that you have it, they just think you're fat."
It was these hurtful remarks, where Natalie was mistaken for being 'obese', that led her develop bulimia - an eating disorder and mental health condition.
She said: "I've overcome it myself but I always knew in the back of my head that something was wrong.
"I didn't find out that I could have lipoedema until a couple of years ago when a client informed me about the condition."
But it would take until September 2018 for Natalie to receive a formal diagnosis.
Natalie then attempted to go through the NHS for treatment, but there is some uncertainty about the best way to treat the condition.
She said: "I was recommended on a Facebook group about surgeons who perform lymphatic sparing liposuction."
The procedure usually uses tumescent or water jet assisted lymph sparing liposuction to remove lipoedemic fat.
So far, Natalie has lost 19 litres of lipoedemic fat and will have her final round of surgery in January next year.
She said: "I've got no pain in my calves anymore and people have been complimenting me.
"But they're saying it about my overall weight, which is bizarre as I haven't lost anything off my stomach."
In the future, Natalie says she would like to see improvements made in the NHS and hopefully see perceptions change.
Even the NHS website states: "There's been little research into lipoedema, so there's some uncertainty about the best way to treat the condition."
She said: "I would like other people to see that it's not obesity, it's a condition."
