A mother has told how she put her daughter on a diet at two years of age.

Aly Gilardoni - who weighs 17 stone herself - has restricted little Corleigh's calorie intake since she was a toddler - because she does not want a 'fat daughter'.

Single mum Aly allows her daughter - who is now 8 - just seven hundred calories a day. This is a thousand under the amount recommended by nutritionists for a growing child of Corleigh's age.

Speaking to Closer magazine, Ms Gilardoni is adamant that she is acting in her daughter's best interests, and stopping her from following the family pattern of over eating and excess weight:

'My mum is 17 stone, so I think it runs in our family.I don't want a fat child. I'm obsessed with how she looks. I want her to be pretty and popular and she wouldn't be if she was bigger.'

Aly admits that whilst she monitors Corleigh's diet, she binges on junk food herself once her daughter is in bed:
'I feel some guilt about having treats, but Corleigh's not bothered. I'm glad I've trained her. I want her to grow up happy and do things I never did. When I look in the mirror I still see a huge, monstrous woman. Corleigh's not so under­weight she's going to die next week. With an eating disorder you can get through it with therapy. But when you're fat, you're fat for life.'

At a recent medical check-up Corleigh was found to be 5lbs underweight but otherwise healthy.

What do you think of this story?

Would you ever put your child on a diet?