A woman from Hove strode on a London catwalk in a fashion show with a difference.

Anthea Franks joined seven other sufferers of the bone condition osteoporosis to model for an audience which included Camilla Parker Bowles.

The Prince of Wales's companion is president of the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) which organised the show.

The glitzy event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts was held to launch a major advertising campaign by the NOS.

It shows how osteoporosis could reduce a healthy young model to a stooping "old" woman in just a few years.

Mrs Franks, 69, wore a two-piece mauve trouser suit as she made her fashion show debut.

She is a trustee of the NOS and chairman of its Brighton and Hove branch. Mrs Franks said: "It was great fun and we had a good laugh but there was also a serious message being highlighted."

Mrs Franks went through an early menopause at the age of 41 and a scan at the time showed her bones had already started thinning.

Because of this she was able to take extra care and avoid suffering the painful fractures normally associated with the condition.

She said: "I was one of the lucky ones because it was picked up early and I was able to start dealing with it."

Though there is no cure, people can stop bones from deteriorating any further if the disease is caught early enough.

Research shows 97 per cent of British women are unaware of the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. It affects one in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50.