A BRAVE Dudley student has bounced back from surgery to raise awareness of her debilitating condition through her modelling.

Charlotte Brain, aged 19, underwent surgery in April this year after being diagnosed with Endometriosis.

The condition affects one in ten women and is caused by the lining of the womb growing in the wrong place in the reproductive system.

Consequences of the condition include severe pain, sickness and fertility problems.

Most women with the condition are diagnosed in their 30s and 40s, so it was a massive shock for Charlie to receive her diagnosis aged just 19-years-old.

She said: "I'm 19 and I have had to deal with things I never thought I would at this age.

"It's really taken its toll on me but I have a really supportive family and boyfriend."

She may have to have surgery every four to eight years and she has also been told she may have to consider IVF in the future.

The Dudley College fashion student had been scouted by a modelling agency before her diagnosis, but was forced to postpone her placement due to surgery.

She was concerned that she would no longer be accepted as model after surgery left with her scars.

Charlotte said: "I thought oh my gosh, I've got scars, they are not going to have me.

"But then I did more research and and found they are encouraging more natural models, they are promoting this more and more."

Charlotte persevered with her modelling and has won a place in the semi-finals of the Miss Midlands beauty pageant where she will battle it out for a place in the grand final in December.

As part of her role in the competition, Charlotte has chosen to raise funds for Endometriosis UK to spread a message of body positivity along with helping raise awareness of the condition.

She said: "I'm all about raising positivity and awareness. It's OK to accept yourself, you don't have to be flawless to be a model."

She also wants to encourage women and girls to get checked by a doctor as her own experience of crippling period pains as a teenager eventually led to her diagnosis, but she feels that many women may not think their pain is serious enough to get checked.

She added: "If you know that something is wrong, you know your own body. If you feel like it's past the point of period pain go and see your doctor."

Charlotte will take to the stage at the Miss Midlands semi final in Birmingham on July 14.