The scars that TELL OUR STORY

Our imperfections are easy to hate, but we speak to three women who are proud of their bodies and what they've been through

'MY SCAR COULD'VE COST ME MY CAREER'

Sophie Hughes, 32, is a curve model who lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and supports children's charity childliverdisease.org.

As a model, imperfections such as scars can be the difference between staying in steady work and never being hired again.

But every time I see the seven-inch scar across my abdomen, I'm reminded that life is so much more than my career.

When my nephew Oscar was born in 2015, he was quickly diagnosed with biliary atresia, a condition where the bile ducts outside and inside the liver are scarred and blocked. By the time he was just six weeks old, we knew that he needed a liver transplant. Lots of the family raised their hands to see if they were a match, and the doctors felt that on paper I was the strongest candidate - I was a blood match and fit and healthy.

At the time, I was working as a model, walking the catwalk and modelling for major brands. I had been scouted by an agency in October 2016, for my size-6 frame and blonde locks. But now, work didn't matter. Family always came first.

Living thousands of miles away in Australia, I jumped on a plane home and headed to the hospital for tests. I had CT scans, MRIs and more blood tests - it was challenging, but as Oscar started to

deteriorate, suffering from a blood clot, I was determined to help him.

Just two weeks later, I was being prepped for the eight-hour surgery to remove part of my liver and transplant it into Oscar.

Though I was incredibly nervous and knew that I had a long road to recovery in front of me, it was nothing compared to the fear of losing Oscar. And even after having the transplant, there was no guarantee that he would get better. His body could even reject the transplant.

'I'm just so grateful I was able to help my nephew'

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