A GRADUATE from charity Action on Addiction’s Centre of Addiction Treatment Studies (CATS) believes her story moved the Duchess of Cambridge on her visit to Warminster.

Anna Elston, from Bournemouth, was one of 12 students to meet the Duchess yesterday (December 10), who was visiting the centre in her role as patron for the charity.

A recovering alcoholic, Ms Elston told how her three young sons were taken into care at the height of her drinking more than eight years ago.

The 43-year-old then went on to describe how she turned her life around, winning the right to have her sons back and attending CATS five years ago where she graduated with a first-class honours degree.

In her speech to the Duchess and her fellow graduates, she said: “If you had told me eight years ago that I would obtain a first-class honours degree in addiction counselling and be asked to deliver a speech to the Duchess of Cambridge, my mum, my three sons and about 100 other people, I simply would not have believed you.

“I didn't believe a lot of things back then, when I was entrenched in active alcoholism. I didn't believe that I could stay sober for more than one day.”

Ms Elston was one of 22 people who graduated from the centre – which has had a ten year partnership with the University of Bath – the day before the Duchess’ visit.

Her three sons Jack, 13, Eddie, nine, and eight-year-old Dylan, were also on hand to present the Duchess – who has been a patron of the charity since 2012 – with a posie at the end of her visit of the centre at Manor House, on Ash Walk.

Ms Elston now works as a co-ordinator for the Amy Winehouse Foundation's resilience programme in Bournemouth – a drug and alcohol awareness and prevention initiative for secondary schools

“I think my speech struck home to the Duchess, I caught her eye a couple of times and I just remember focussing on my speech thinking I’m not sure I can look at her again or she might set me off,” she added.

“I couldn’t look at my mum, I glanced at her once when I mentioned her name but I haven’t spoken to mum about my speech before today, it was something fresh to her, because I just wanted her to hear it for how it was, how I’ve written it myself because it was very personal.

“But it was lovely having the Duchess, she was just a step away from me and was watching my every move.

“She’s great, lovely and very down to earth it was just a privilege to have met her.

Ms Elston’s mum, Pauline Blissett, said: “Of course I’m extremely proud of Anna.

“I hadn’t heard the speech before as she didn’t want me to hear it but it was a little bit emotional.”