Attractive Danielle Nulty has looks many women would die for. But when Danielle looked in the mirror, she saw a hideous, wrinkly old woman rather then her own reflection. Here, Danielle tells Lisa Stocks about her fight against Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

AT THE age of 13 Danielle Nulty was diagnosed with depression. By 16 she was placed on suicide watch.

And when she reached the age of 18 and told her psychiatrist she was 'so ugly she wanted to die', she was told she was being silly. But Danielle did not suffer from depression. Instead, she had Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

The 26-year-old food sales representative said: “I'd look in the mirror and see a monster looking back at me.

“It was so distorted, I'd see the most horrific deep lines around my lips and in my skin and I'd be repulsed by myself.”

Danielle's nightmare began at 13. She was obsessed with 'feeling ugly' and doctors diagnosed her with depression.

When her condition worsened, the then 16-year-old was diagnosed with clinical depression and placed on suicide watch.

But she was now classed as an adult and had to stop seeing the child psychologist she'd been making progress with. She managed without help for 18 months until her suicidal feelings returned.

“At 17 or 18 I went to a psychiatrist,” Danielle, from Rudyard Close, Stone, recalls. “I was asked 'how do you feel?' and I blurted it out and said I felt so ugly I wanted to die. I was told 'Don't be so silly'. Even I thought 'Well that is silly'.

“I never told anyone I felt ugly. I couldn't talk about it. It hurts so much but it's embarrassing and I'm ashamed as well.”

Danielle – who had only confided in her mum – had even kept her condition a secret from her boyfriend of three-and-a-half years, Carl Hough, aged 29.

“She didn't really tell me much about it until at least a year after we met,” says Carl. “I couldn't understand at first what it does and cannot understand now. I couldn't see how someone as attractive as she is feels like that.

“I'm proud of her, she's fantastic. Through her sales job she has to have confidence to talk to people. She's done very well.”

Two years ago, desperate to find out what was wrong with her, Danielle had spent tireless hours researching on the internet.

But everything then became clear two years ago when Danielle saw the BBC documentary Too Ugly For Love.

For the third time Danielle sought professional counselling and finally BDD was confirmed.

Danielle was prescribed Cipralex, an anti-depressant drug used specifically with this disorder, and now she can look forward to the future.

“It's always going to be there sitting on my shoulder,” she says.

“But now I can control it rather than it controlling me.

“I can look at myself and say 'I'm okay'. I can see the little wrinkles and small laughter lines and think 'That's okay, they are meant to be there'.”

Danielle is due to appear on the Richard and Judy show on Channel 4 from 5pm tomorrow.