A runner was going to the toilet 40 times a day, ended up malnourished and her brain was "shutting down" before had emergency bowel removal surgery.

Charlie Ryan, 37, says she had a "minefield" of gut diseases - but now feels like a "new woman" after having her entire bowel removed during stoma surgery.

She initially needed a temporary colostomy - a procedure which creates an opening in her abdomen to allow stool to exit her body.

But after her bowel became perforated through disease, her doctor said she’d need to have the entire organ removed.

Now she has a permanent stoma and ostomy bag - but feels like she’s "living her best life" despite initial fears.