Bethaney Wallace's parents told how she had appeared to turn a corner before her death

A model who graced the cover of teen magazines has died of anorexia at just 19 years old.

Bethaney Wallace, who had suffered with an eating disorder for three years, was under 7st and too weak to work before her death.

She began modelling at just 12, being pictured in teen magazines Make It Groovy, Popgirl and Girl Talk.

Her father Clive told the Daily Mail the teen believed she was fat, saying: "She would say she was fat but she was so beautiful – she didn't realise how beautiful she was. She had up days and down days. It was like Jekyll and Hyde.

"I tried to warn her that her organs would fail but she just said: 'Don't be silly'. If you mentioned food it would start an argument."

Ms Wallace, from Newmarket, Suffolk, had been receiving medical attention but died in her sleep on 18 April at her grandmother's house.

Her father said before her death she appeared to have been making "good progress" and had an eating plan. But her parents said doctors believed her heart had failed after being weakened by the disease.

Her mother Cathy said she had watched her daughter deteriorate in front of her, saying: "You are slowly watching your child die."

A spokesperson for eating disorders charity B-eat said the illnesses took a "huge toll on the body": "Our hearts go out to Bethaney's family.

"Eating disorders are devastating illnesses and it is particularly poignant that she had been making progress in her battle to beat her illness."

Her death comes after a recovering anorexic called for airbrushed images in adverts aimed at children to be banned.

An inquest was opened and adjourned on 23 April.

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