Surgery cures girl's 'snake spine'

A year ago Teesside teenager Emily Crosby thought her hopes of becoming a dancer had been shattered when she was diagnosed with a double curve of the spine.

The 14-year-old from Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, was diagnosed with one of the worst cases of scoliosis (curvature of the spine) doctors had ever seen.

Her spine was so curved that her lungs were squashed between her ribs and were in danger of puncturing.

But her dancing career is back on track after 11 hours of surgery resulted in a titanium rod being inserted into her back to straighten the bones.

Her mother Jackie, told Look North's Stephanie Cleasby that her daughter was "an inspiration" who was now determined to see her dream of becoming a dancer come true.