A TODDLER whose face was horribly disfigured by a skin disease has made a fantastic recovery and is now on the books of child model agency.

David Winterbottom was so badly affected by eczema, a disease which causes intense itching, that his face used to crack and bleed when he smiled.

But after intensive treatment using steroids and special creams, the eczema, which also covered much of his body, has virtually cleared up.

Now David has been signed up by a new Culcheth child model agency, Euro Kids, and has completed his first photo shoot, advertising a range of children's toys.

But it was sheer chance that led to the young boy, who will celebrate his second birthday next month, being signed up by the agency.

It began when his mum, Janine, had a studio picture taken of her son which won first place in a competition after photographer, Les Braham, entered it.

Then agency boss, Debbie Ikin, contacted Mrs Winterbottom four weeks ago to see if she could put David's photo forward for a modelling shoot.

His picture was chosen from a list of other tiny hopefuls as the child to appear in the toy advert.

Mrs Winterbottom of Edwards Gardens, Woolston, said: "When he was smaller his condition was awful. His face was covered in big red blotches and it was really swollen.

"I cried so much when I used to look at him when he was little. It was awful to see him like that. The eczema used to drive him mad and he would scratch his face to shreds.

"We used to go into his nursery in the morning and his cot used to be covered in blood because he had been scratching so much."

But for the past six months the eczema which covered David's face and body has cleared up dramatically - although some patches still remain on his body.

"It's brilliant to see him now," Mrs Winterbottom said. "It's amazing to think he has come through so much and has won the competition.

"Now his complexion is so clear you can't believe what it was like. It just shows that no matter how awful it may seem, eczema can be beaten."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.