A woman who weighed less than five stone after battling with crippling anorexia is now a healthy and happy personal trainer.

Mhairi Stewart, 22, reached breaking point in July 2015 when staff at an adult eating disorder clinic did not know how many days she had left to live.

Her terrified mother Rosemary, 60, became so “scared that she was going to die” that she used to sneak into her teenager’s bedroom and lie on the floor next to the bed.

But Mhairi, from Glasgow, has completely turned her life around and is a now a successful personal trainer.

She is now inspiring others with similar struggles and is set to compete in weightlifting competitions this year.

Mhairi told the Daily Record: “Problems leading to anorexia all started around the time I left school after fourth year.

“I really had no clue what I wanted to do with my life.

“My grandad had died the year before and I was really close to him.

"It felt like I had no control over anything, the only thing I could control was food.”

Mhairi would work out for more than eight hours per day but only consumed between 300 and 500 calories.

She added: “I was paranoid about burning off every calorie. I walked everywhere, spent at least four hours in the gym every day doing cardio, weights, the lot.

“My diet consisted of 20g of porridge, a protein shake, an apple, egg whites and a salad. That was it.

“My mum and sister, who I lived with at the time, were worried sick but in my head I was fine.

“To think my mum snuck into my bedroom every night to make sure I didn’t die or fall ill in my sleep shows how scared she was.”

In early 2015, after being forced to attend GP appointments, Mhairi was referred to an adult eating disorder clinic.

Her BMI had dropped to 12 by July, when it should have been above 18, and she was admitted to Gartnavel Hospital.

A month later Mhairi was discharged – but had a long way to go.

In 2017, while well on the road to recovery, Mhairi completed an qualification in health and fitness and secured a job as a personal trainer.

She said: “Some college lecturers didn’t know if I would make it to the end of the course. To think how far I’ve come is amazing but I’ll never be fully recovered.

“I just have to learn to live with my issues with food.”

With the help of her weightlifting boyfriend Adam, 26, Mhairi’s strength has improved so much that she’s heading to Physical Culture Association competitions, with the country’s top body builders and weightlifters.

In May 2016, Mhairi posted her first shocking before and after pictures showing her body’s transformation over the past couple of years.

Since then, she has posted many more snaps as well as workout videos, inspiring her 1.3k followers.

“Now I just love being strong,” Mhairi said. “I was scared to post my first photo, but I wanted to be honest with people especially my clients.

“At the end of the day, practice what you preach.

“If I’m promoting becoming a healthier person, I need to show how far I’ve come and continue to look after myself too.”

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