A Thor lookalike who became superfit to help fight his cystic fibrosis says he can laugh properly for the first time EVER - after trying a "life-changing" medication.

Ben Mudge, 31, was born with the lung condition, which would cause him to cough constantly due to excess mucus.

He began weight training in his teenage years in order to improve his health - and was soon was likened to Thor, Marvel's hammer-wielding god played by Chris Hemsworth.

Ben then became buff personal trainer and even gained a following of others with cystic fibrosis, who were inspired by him.

But he believed until recently that he was as healthy as he would ever be - before trying a new medication in November which was "life-changing" for him.

He said he can now breathe, speak, and laugh without coughing - and it feels like he is living "a dream".

Ben, from Newtownabbey, Belfast, said: "I didn't expect a significant change, but within hours of taking the medication, I noticed the difference.

"I took a deep breath and I started to cry - I never realised what breathing should feel like!

"I used to cough all the time - all day long, even more whenever I laughed and whenever I trained - and now I can't remember the last time I did.

"Now I can laugh without having to think about it - it's so surreal.

"Before, it felt like I had this shadow behind me and now I've been unshackled."