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.
The rock restaurant, located in Zanzibar – THIS unique restaurant really does boast breath-taking views - as it is perched on a rock in the middle of the sea .
A panic stricken kitten that got her head stuck in a car tyre has been freed by quick thinking RSPCA staff .
This brave Hyena finally catches his pray among the thousands of flamingos, Lake Nakuru, Kenya - OUTNUMBERED among thousands of flamingos, this bold hyena is not put off from hunting for a morning snack .
Suspended FIFTY metres in the air, this is the last place that you would expect to find a fine dining experience .
This was the chaotic scene when the driver of a 4x4 vehicle became periously trapped under his vehicle for an HOUR when it overturned after a crash on a busy motorway .
Full of tired and busy commuters, these underground stations are rarely admired for their architecture or beauty .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
A Little owl looks down the lens of a camera and gives the photographer a cheeky wink .
Pouncing down on top of his twin brother, these two snow leopard cubs practice their kung-fu moves .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
A small Indian monkey is seemingly gob-smacked after reading the latest stock market news .