'I wanted to continue modelling, wheelchair or no wheelchair'

Debbie-Lyn Connolly Lloyd now includes her wheelchair and walking stick in her photoshoots

Debbie-Lyn Connolly Lloyd's journey to the final of a modelling contest was never supposed to be as hard as it was, but she says it has allowed her to show her children "the importance of never giving up".

In July 2022, the plus-size model from Southport had just picked her children up from school and was putting shopping away when she started to feel a numbness in her legs.

The 41-year-old, who had just entered the Ms Curvaceous UK contest, says she initially thought it was the recurrence of a problem with the discs in her back, but soon she was paralysed from the waist down with no feeling in her legs.

After calling the NHS 111 helpline, she was told to go to A&E.

She says a series of tests, which included an MRI scan, did not show anything was wrong, but she was referred to a neurologist for further investigation.

It was there that she was finally diagnosed with functional neurological disorder.

The support charity FND Action describes the condition as "a brain network disorder that can encompass a diverse range of neurological symptoms, including limb weakness, paralysis, seizures, walking difficulties, spasms, twitching, sensory issues and more".

It says "anyone of any age can receive the diagnosis" and the symptoms can be "severe and disabling" for many, but are "life-changing for all".

Debbie-Lyn says the diagnosis was "devastating" and made her lose all her confidence.

"I had gone from a a busy mum to not being able to walk," she says.

"I was terrified. I needed assistance with absolutely everything.

"I had carers coming three times a day, and I was fitted for a wheelchair."

She says she "tried hard to stay positive, which wasn't always easy, but I had four little people watching me, so I had to try and get better".

'So proud of myself'

The condition caused her to experience tics and seizures and left her not wanting to leave the house as her world "collapsed".

"I was embarrassed," she says.

"I couldn't carry on in my job as a model and make-up artist as my hands now shake.

"But I knew it was important to keep doing things."

She says she began regular physiotherapy and psychotherapy and pushed herself to go out in public in her wheelchair.

Slowly, she says, her confidence grew.

Debbie-Lyn says she is "proud" to have made it to the final "and I've not let anything stand in the way"

Determined to stay involved in the fashion industry, she started an online clothes store for plus-sized women, which proved so successful, she has since opened a shop in her home town.

"I just had to keep pushing myself," she says.

"And I was determined to make my children proud and get back to plus-size modelling, which I love."

However, she says she was unsure about the Ms Curvaceous UK competition and rang the organisers to withdraw.

But after chatting with them, she changed her mind and decided she would continue.

"I decided that I was going to attend, wheelchair or no wheelchair," she says.

Debbie-Lyn says her partner and her children were very supportive and urged her to keep following her dreams

She was then chosen from more than 2,000 entrants to compete in the final, which will take place in December.

"I felt so proud of myself for pushing through and entering, but I never in a million years expected to be chosen as a finalist," she says.

"I'm proud that I've got to this stage and I've not let anything stand in the way."

She says her partner Mark and her four children, who are now aged eight, 12, 14 and 18, were very supportive and urged her to keep following her dreams.

"I don't want to stop and I think it's even more important to carry on with a message of inclusion and representation," she says.

"I have pushed through such difficult times and shown my children that we never give up, whatever comes our way."