text: Just 13 and in the grip of a terrifying obsession surviving on just one piece of fruit a day, anorexic schoolgirl Laura Scurr's body started to shut down. The 15-year-old, from Whitley Bay, was left on a heart machine after she collapsed through starvation but has now spoken about pressures put on teenagers to be a 'size zero'. Laura became so obsessed with having the perfect figure she would hide food down the side of her bed, lying to her mother about eating and sometimes surviving on just a piece of fruit a day. Scroll down for video . Laura Scurr, 15, has spoken out about the pressures on young girls to be a size zero after, having becoming obsessed with her own weight, she developed anorexia . But her dramatic weight loss led to horrific consequences when she suddenly collapsed at her family home and was rushed to intensive care. Laura has spoken about her two-year fight with anorexia and revealed the pressures she felt to be thin. She said: 'At the worst point I was hiding food down the sides of the settee or beds, lying to my mum about having meals, and eating about 100 calories a day. 'I would even try to have mashed potato with each meal so I could hide the rest of the food under it, that way it looked like I'd ate more.' After spending a week on a heart monitor at North Tyneside General Hospital, Laura was finally offered support from eating disorder organisations as she began her recovery. Problems started for the teen two years ago when she decided she wanted to go on a diet. 'I was nearly 13 stone and felt like I was too big,' Laura said. 'I'd been bullied a little bit because of my weight, people saying things like 'here comes the whale' and that made me feel horrible. Laura was living off just one piece of fruit a day and would hide her food down the side of her bed so her parents wouldn't see it . Laura continued: 'I would look around at the other girls and they all seemed to be skinny and, of course, I wanted to be like them and fit into all the different types of clothes. 'But it wasn't just people I knew. I felt there was a lot of pressures from all over the place. Everywhere you looked there seemed to be this idea that girls should be a size zero.' Laura agreed with mum Sue, 48, to go on a 'sensible diet' but soon the Whitley Bay High School pupil became frustrated, wanting to lose more weight, quicker. According to the NHS Anorexia or Anorexia nervosa, to give its full name, is a serious mental health condition in which people try to keep their body weight as low as possible. It is often said that people will often restrict their intake of food, make themselves vomit or increase the amount of exercise they are doing. The condition often develops in people who are anxious about their body shape or weight, or in those who fear being fat or wish to be thin. Anorexia most commonly occurs in women, starting around the age of 16 or 17. Although there are cases of men suffering from the disease too. Often people suffering from anorexia will obsessively count calories, take laxatives and repeatedly weight themselves or check their bodies in the mirror. If you think you know someone who is suffering from the disease talk to them gently about it. Often it can be hard for them to seek help. You can also seek advice from an eating disorder charity such as Beat, who will be able to talk you through how to help them and how to handle the situation. In February 2015 it was estimated that around 725,000 people were suffering from an eating disorder in the UK - 10 per cent of those were suffering from anorexia. 'It was coming off quite slowly, at about 2lbs a week,' said Laura. 'But I became much more obsessive about it and decided to reduce my calorie intake. 'In the end, I was virtually eating nothing, maybe an apple or orange a day. 'I could tell my parents were getting worried, they couldn't understand why I didn't want to eat.' Lack of food soon took its toll on Laura's health and her heart rate started slowing. She said: 'I was in bed for three or four days, never going out of the house. 'I would feel dizzy or pass out because my heart rate was so slow.' Finally after a week of eating virtually nothing, Laura collapsed. No happy and healthy Laura has made it to the semi final of Miss Teen GB, the competition aims to stay away from size zero stereotypes . Sue, who works in sales, said: 'An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital and put on the heart monitor for a week. Her body had just started to shut down. 'It was frightening, I was shocked that this was happening to my daughter. 'I remember sitting by her hospital bed and saying "Laura, do you realise how sick you are?" but she just said "I don't care, as long as I'm skinny". 'It was then I realised just how much pressure she, and all girls, were under to look a certain way.' After getting discharged Laura began working with eating disorder teams (EDICT) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to help in her recovery. Today, her body image is better than ever and her new-found confidence has allowed her to make it through to the semi final of Miss Teen GB. The contest aims to promote 'positive and confidence-building experiences' for young girls, away from size zero stereotypes.
target: At 13, Laura Scurr went on a diet which would turn into a scary obsession .
  Laura developed anorexia and would survive on  one piece of fruit a day .
  Now 15 she has overcome the disorder and is battling back .
  Laura has spoken of the pressures on young girls to be a size zero .