A coeliac sufferer from Worcester Park is backing a campaign to get people tested for the disease.

Zoe Wickins, 20, suffers from the disease and both her mother and brother were diagnosed with the condition after she was.

At 15-years-old, Miss Wickins was particularly small for her age and had not started puberty.

However, after blood tests she was diagnosed with the disease and grew about 40cm in a few years.

About six months later her brother was also diagnosed.

Miss Wickins said: “I completely changed my lifestyle and I was told by my doctor my whole personality would change.

“My taste in food changed; I didn’t eat fish or cream pre-diagnosis.

“It can be difficult in restaurants- I can’t go to Chinese because I can’t eat most of the stuff.

“Italians are good because they do gluten free pasta now.”

Miss Wickins has to plan ahead now, particularly when she goes on holiday and she can no longer eat products with gluten in.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by an intolerance to gluten. There is no cure and no medication, the only treatment is a gluten-free diet for life.

It is estimated that there are half a million people undiagnosed in the UK.

Coeliac sufferer Dr Chris Steele MBE who is known for his appearances on This Morning launched a campaign on January 18, to encourage all close family relatives of those diagnosed with coeliac disease to get tested for the genetic condition.

His son Andrew was suffering from illness recently which spurred him to get tested for the disease. Fortunately his son did not share the disease and Dr Steele said: “I hope that more people will follow Andrew’s example and go to their GP and ask for a test.

“Many people are afraid and put off finding out if they have something wrong with them but as someone who wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my 60's I had already incurred damage to my gut which led to osteoporosis due to lack of calcium being absorbed.”

For more information on Coeliac UK, call 0845 305 2060 or visit celiac.org.uk.