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.
MEET the underwater British seal who is so friendly he loves to grapple divers like a friendly puppy dog .
Grandmother Janet Kirby was told she couldn't board her plane home after being accused of assault .
STOOD side by side next to a busy road, these buildings were once bustling with life .
With an abandoned tricycle sitting in an empty corridor, this derelict but once grand mansion could be the setting for The Shining .
A tiny puppy who lost his front legs after being hit by a train has been given and new LEASH of life with a set of wheels .
ARMED with her camera, bikini and flippers, this brave diver goes swimming with SHARKS .
FROM a HOLLYWOOD actress to the face of an innocent child, these are incredible drawings with an unlikely twist .
SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner .
WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .
WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .
From the rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons to the still waters in the Lake District, these photographs capture autumnal landscapes across Great Britain perfectly .
