A TEENAGER is enjoying a new lease of life after breaking her addiction to burnt bangers.

Nat Holland, 19, of St Andrews Ridge, wanted to change her eating habits, but never realised how unhealthy her lifestyle was until she took part in BBC 3's Freaky Eaters series.

Nat, an auxiliary nurse at the Great Western Hospital, who moved from Manchester to Swindon last summer to live with her boyfriend, said: "We never went out - I would have to order off the children's menu."

She features on tonight's Freaky Eaters programme at 9pm. The series aims to stop food addictions taking over people's lives with help from a nutritionist and a psychologist. Nat applied to the programme after reading an advertisement in a magazine, but never thought anything would come of it.

"I thought there must be a lot more people worse off than me," she said.

During the programme Nat also had to confront her fear of boats and try each new food at least 10 times before she could say she did not like it.

Following the advice, Nat is now able to enjoy foods such as pizza and pasta, though cannot yet bring herself to like bananas.

She said: "I'm not eating as much as they would want me to be eating, but I'm eating more than I did.

"Before, all my meals revolved around sausages."

Why sausages became her staple diet is a mystery to the teenager.

"I've always eaten like this since I can remember," she said. "It was a joke in my family, but it could be quite embarrassing."

The programme has changed Nat's life and made her dream of becoming a chef a possibility, and she is considering a return to education in the future.

However, she says she will be watching "through closed eyes" when she makes her television debut.

l Barrie's freeview pick: see page 29