SWSMcereal - By Adam Dutton

A little girl who was hooked on breakfast cereal her whole life has finally eaten her first ever hot meal - thanks to hypnosis.

Brave Ella Fowler, eight, would burst into tears if anyone offered her anything other than Cornflakes, Weetabix or Frosties.

She never touched a home-cooked meal and even took cereal to birthday parties and tucked into a bowl as her family ate Christmas dinner.

Mum Natalie, 40, and dad Jamie, 44, took her to their GP and Ella was put on an NHS waiting list to see a food specialist.

Desperate, they turned to eating disorder expert David Kilmurry – and the results were almost immediate.

Ella was diagnosed with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), a condition that makes the smell, taste and texture of certain foods unbearable.



After just two two-hour hypnotherapy sessions with David, Ella has tried more than 20 new foods - including fruit, veg, nuts and pizza.



She even munched a raw Brussels sprout and has vowed to eat all her vegetables from now on.



Natalie, a store manager, said: "She's never eaten anything cooked on a hob. At home it was cereal for breakfast, lunch and tea."



"She's never had a Christmas dinner."

"She went to her best friend's birthday party and there was a lovely spread of sandwiches, sausage rolls and crisps but she had a bowl of cereal."



"She goes round her friend's house and she has cereal and crackers."

Ella started rejecting almost all foods when she was a two-year-old - leading Natalie to resort to giving her breakfast for dinner.



The mum ended up buying dozens of boxes of Cornflakes, Weetabix and Frosties each week to keep up with Ella's demands.

She added: "When we started weaning Ella she would try anything. When she got to two things changed."



"I took her to the GP when she was about five, they said she'd grow out of it but she never did."

"When she was eight, I thought that something was still not right so took her to the GP again and she was put on a waiting list."

"I didn't know how long we'd be waiting for her to see a specialist so we started looking online about kids with similar conditions."

"We came across David and were amazed by the results he had."

"People think it's just fussy eating but it's not. It's fear. I'm so glad I didn't wait for the NHS. David was brilliant."



"I don't know how he did it."

David, who has practices in Coventry and Harley Street, London, said: "ARFID isn't taken seriously enough."

"It doesn't just go away. Food is medicine and Ella is already making amazing progress."

ENDS