knew in my heart that it would start growing again.

'Almost straight away the stump began increasing in circumference and I was finding it harder to fit inside my prosthetic leg.



'Then the stump got so heavy that it nearly broke the prosthetic leg.'

Fight: Ms Sellars - pictured here before surgery - was told she would die before she had her leg removed

Her leg now weighs three stone and has a circumference of one metre.



The former RSPCA voluntary worker is hopeful that a cure can be found for her disease.



WHAT IS PROTEUS SYNDROME?

Proteus syndrome involves atypical growth of the bones, skin,

head and a variety of other symptoms.

It was first identified by Michael Cohen Jr. in 1979. The name comes from the Greek god Proteus, who used to change his shapeor form to avoid capture.

Its cause is unknown, but other symptoms include raised rough skin, deep lines and overgrowth of

soft tissue on the soles of the feet, enlarged blood vessels, excess fat, tumours (usually benign) and deep vein thromboses.

The syndrome became more widely known when it was determined that Joseph Merrick (top), portrayed by John Hurt in the popular 1980 film The Elephant Man (above) had severe Proteus syndrome.

It is similar to Proteus syndrome, the illness thought to have affected Elephant Man Joseph Merrick, which can also increase the size of a person's organs.



Ms Sellars weighed 16st with both legs at full size, and is one of only around 120 people in the world with a condition of this kind.



Five years ago, she told ITV's This Morning show