A DANCER and model told she would never perform again after being left in a wheelchair by a rare stomach condition has defied doctors' predictions to dance once more.

Hope Davis, from Croydon Road, Bromley,was given just six days to live before she had paralysis of the stomach muscles, gastroparesis, diagnosed, in 2005.

The condition caused her to shrink to just five stone and vomit up to 40 times a day.

Doctors told her they thought she would never dance again because she was so weak.

But she has battled back to health and is now opening her own dance school in Croydon.

The condition developed after Miss Davis had an operation for a hernia in 2004.

Puzzled doctors spent a year trying to diagnose the condition, which left her in agony and caused continuous vomiting.

The 33-year-old said: "I was in a wheelchair I couldn't walk, all my muscles wasted away, I really was just skin and bone. The doctors didn't know what was wrong, they kept asking me whether I was anorexic.

"After my terminal diagnosis I decided to let go and prepare for the worst. My stomach was so paralysed anything that was in it went green, they fed me through my nose to bypass my stomach."

Miss Davis was unable to eat for a year before diagnosis and for a year after, as doctors tried to find the best medication to treat her.

Despite being told she would never dance again, after learning to walk Miss Davis worked hard to get her dancing feet back.

She said: "It has been a long hard road, I have had 12 operations and take over 20 tablets daily to stay alive.

"I have started dancing again in the last year and it can still be very painful, but I want to still be close to dance which is why I have opened Hope School of Dance.

"I want to pass on my skills to the next generation and wanted to teach somewhere that was diverse, which is why I chose Croydon, but most importantly I want to give others hope of achieving their dreams."

To find out more about Hope School of Dance visit hopeschoolofdance.com