A 13 year old was 'the most beautiful girl in class' - 5 years later she revealed the ugly truth behind her pictures

Margherita Barbieri is only 18 years old, but she has already experienced many ups and downs in her short life.

Now a resident of the city of Reading, England, she has decided to share her story with some intimate photos - in the hope that she will help others who are in a similar situation.

When she was young, Margherita dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer. Life was good. She was beautiful, she had a lot of friends and she was very popular.

But unfortunately, Margherita's dance teacher was very tough, telling her she was too big to be a ballet dancer.

The teacher even mentioned Margherita's thighs - on which she said they were 'thunder thighs'.

The teacher's comments seeped deep into the girl who aspired to be a professional dancer, until she decided to start a murderous diet in order to lose weight.

Margherita did not intend to let her body stand in the way of her dreams, so she reduced her daily calorie intake to only 140 calories a day.

There were days when Margherita did not eat anything.

"My weight was just fine, but I did not understand it back then, I was determined to be a better dancer so I started practicing too much without eating anything. It made me hate my body, the body I once loved, the body I was once proud of, but instead - I fought against my appearance", Margherita told the Daily Mail.

The murderous starvation had consequences and Margherita was down from 55 kg of weight, to 25 kg.

For years Margherita struggled with her anorexia, but eventually she managed to break the vicious circle.

When she finally found the psychic powers to change her diet, Margherita felt healthier and more beautiful. And self-confidence returned to her.

At the beginning of the recovery process Margherita made a list.

She wrote foods with more than 200 calories she was afraid to eat, like butter and chocolate.

Eventually, Margherita started incorporating them into her menu and now she is back to her original weight of 55kg.

Margherita gave up her ballet career - and replaced it with a new passion.

Margherita plans to be a dancer in musicals - in which she could be herself in an industry that does not place so much emphasis on body weight.

She is also very open about her story and uploads before and after photos on her Instagram page to inspire others who are in the same situation.

"My advice to everyone is to learn to love your body and yourself, develop a good relationship with food, do not let anyone depress you. I think we all need to fight to find a cure for anorexia, it is a powerful disease that can be life threatening, I am lucky I chose to recover", Margherita said.

We think it's very brave of Margherita to talk openly about the way she went and how she fought the disease.

We hope Margherita inspires other girls who need help.