A young mum has told how a phantom pregnancy almost destroyed her dream of having a second child. Pretty Tracie Shannon was desperate to have another baby with her husband James, 25, but was devastated to learn the "bump" growing inside her was actually a kind of tumour. Having already endured two miscarriages in her quest to provide her first son Taylor, three, with a sibling to complete their little family, Tracie was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant again. But despite experiencing all the usual signs of pregnancy, from a swollen tummy to morning sickness, her hopes were crushed when she went for a scan at 11 weeks. Tracie, 26, from Cirencester, Gloucs, had been eager to see the first scan of her unborn child, but instead a "snowstorm" appeared on the ultrasound monitor
STAR-TI-LING: 40,000 STARLINGS MIMIC HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS- This could be the fearsome scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds as a flock of 40,000 starlings bask in the heat of a wonderful British sunset .
A woman has lost an incredible 13st after a group of men cruelly threw a kebab at her as she walked down the street .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
A KITTEN'S teaparty and rat's playing dominoes are the bizarre creations by one of Britain's great eccentrics pictured in an incredible new book .
POWERFUL bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky in an incredible autumn storm over the Sardinian coastline .
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
A soldier who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan has found love with a blonde bombshell he met through his newfound passion for rally driving .
A DARING duo take their chances and scale this spectacular 82ft frozen waterfall before it collapses .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
A woman who was cyberstalked before being shot and paralysed by her ex-husband is campaigning to raise awareness for stalking victims .
FLYING through the air, these delighted pooches pull their best poses mid-flight .