A Yorkshire man who suffers from a genetic disease which leads to muscle weakness and numbness has defied the odds to become a successful bodybuilder.

John Nixon, 44, suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a condition that causes nerve damage. Despite the challenges the disease brings, John has become a bodybuilder and even came second in the PCA bodybuilding world finals in Malaga, Spain.

John, of Barnsley, said: "I joined the gym to feel stronger and to stop falling and tripping as much and I've never looked back. I've always been pretty good in myself but around this time I was getting quite thin and weak.

"Because my condition can be degenerative, I really think I would be in a wheelchair if I didn't find bodybuilding 17 years ago."

John was officially diagnosed with the condition when he was 12. At the time, doctors told him that he must never lift weights and be very cautious when doing exercise. John has many of the key symptoms that are characteristic to CMT.