A MELKSHAM woman who has recovered from anorexia will be tackling not one, but two Tough Mudder events to raise money for the eating disorder charity who helped her through her treatment.

Felicity Seviour, 21, of The Bramblings, decided to set herself the brave challenge of raising money for Beat after she suffered with the illness aged just 19 when starting out at university in Wigan.

“I initially approached a GP and I told them something wasn’t right but at the time I wasn’t underweight but I was losing weight. I remember the first thing the doctor told me if I wanted to lose weight I should try Weight Watchers,” she said.

“Then I went to another doctor who sent me to the wrong people and when I got there and explained everything they even said you have been sent incorrectly. I originally got the diagnosis in October and then I waited until January to get treatment.

“I got so ill that I got sent home from university and saw another doctor who referred me to Savernake Hospital and within a week I got assessed and was given weekly treatment.

“It is just sad that I had to wait until my weight was dangerously low to get help.”

As a result of the delayed treatment, she was also diagnosed with early osteopenia in her spine which if not treated, could have resulted in osteoporosis.

The drama student had to take a break from her studies but added that on her road to recovery she wanted to turn her love of sports into something positive which inspired her to take on the 12-mile challenges.

“The Tough Mudders are difficult but they are fun and so it is always worth it in the end but it is quite tricky at the start," she said.

"The first and only rule is that you have to help everyone regardless of whether you know them.”

She initially set herself the challenge of raising £150 for Beat but to her surprise, she has surpassed her target.

“Beat’s website has so many pages and resources and I struggled to get help in the first place so that really helped me because there were forums where other sufferers could understand what I felt and they have a counsellor in the conversation as well.

“It is a mental illness and that is the thing people do not realise and it is a competitive illness as well because people will want to weigh less than other people. I think people forget there are a lot of things behind anorexia and it isn’t just one thing to pinpoint it on," she said.

Miss Seviour’s next event will be on September 12. To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/felicity-seviour