She is about to start driving and soon will be able to legally buy alcohol and get married, but Poppy Webb-Jones still looks and thinks like a ten-year-old girl. Unlike other 17-year-olds, Poppy is more interested in Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber than wearing make-up, experimenting with boys or staying out late. This is due to a rare condition which means she was born without any hormones, meaning she has never gone through puberty, never had a growth spurt and never thrown a teenage tantrum. To many parents of teenagers, Poppy must sound like the perfect child, but unbeknown to her or her mother Karen Webb-Meek, her condition posed a deadly risk to her health throughout her whole childhood. Poppy was born with a condition called panhypopituitarism meaning she lacks most of the hormones essential for life. Hypopituitarism is the decreased secretion of one or more of the eight hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. If there is decreased secretion of most pituitary hormones, the term panhypopituitarism (pan meaning "all") is used. Poppy has no growth hormone, meaning her bones stopped growing around the age of 11, and she has no thyroxine, which regulates the metabolism and energy levels. In addition she has no oestrogen, which controls the onset of puberty and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
AIRPORT staff have been put on alert after diet pills that come in grenade shaped containers sparked security alerts .
BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
A BABY-faced burglar is starting a seven year stretch in custody after being nabbed by a Jaffa Cake .
POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .
WITH A LITTLE cap of fresh snow resting on his head, this squirrel tries his best to pull off his new look .
A grand 56-bedroom hotel, once heaving with injured soldiers during the First World War, now lies completely abandoned .
AN OLD ENGLISH cottage packed full of history and valuables has been left to rot .
FIFTEEEN years after it was closed pictures by a British teacher show the calamity Hong Kong airport that was closed for being too dangerous .
THIS ONE of a kind experience brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a coffee to go' .
WITH STUNNING colours and serene scenes, these photographs capture the otherworldly beauty of the English coast .
HOTSPOT MEDIA - FUNKY BUMP: FROM MIRROR bellies to rainbow bumps these pregnancy casts of stone and bronze could be the funkiest way to preserve your bump for posterity .