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Just like her own mother before her, Aly Gilardoni weighs 17 stone.

When she became a mum herself, Aly was terrified that her daughter Corleigh would continue the cycle.

So she put her on a strict diet - when she was just two years old.

Now, six years on, the schoolgirl is still only allowed to eat 700 calories a day - 1,000 less than the recommended amount for her age.

Aly, 32, says: "I don't want a fat child. Getting an eating disorder like anorexia would be preferable. Being overweight dominates my life. I don't want Corleigh to be like me."

As a result, 4ft 6in Corleigh weighs 4st, her ribs protrude and she's banned from her friends' houses in case she eats "junk".

On a typical day she has Weetabix for breakfast, salad and half a roll for lunch and a jacket potato for dinner.

Meanwhile, Aly - a size 22 - skips breakfast, snacks on biscuits, then has crisps, chips and cheesecake for lunch followed by pizzas, potato wedges and cheesy mash for dinner.

Aly, from Ipswich, says: "I feel some guilt about having treats, but Corleigh's not bothered. She does throw a strop sometimes. She'll ask for chocolate raisins, but I'll let her have a handful of the yoghurt-covered ones maybe twice a week - that's her treat. I feel bad but it's my worst fear she'll tuck into something and want it all the time, like I do."

Corleigh was anaemic until she was five and Aly recently sought medical advice after her daughter's ribs were sticking out more than usual and she wasn't finishing her dinner.

A nurse expressed concerns that Corleigh was 5lb underweight and in danger of developing an eating disorder.

But Aly says: "She'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. Obviously I'd prefer it if she didn't get either."

Aly, who's split from Corleigh's dad, says she started to comfort eat at 13 after she became a target for bullies. By the age of 16 she was a size 20 and weighed 15st. She says: "I ate chips every night. Other kids said I was fat and ugly, so I ate more.

"Corleigh's apprehensive about junk food and getting fat and she's always looking in mirrors. I'm glad I've trained her. I want her to grow up happy and do things I never did."

The full feature appears in this week's Closer magazine, on sale now.

'SHE NEEDS HELP'

Medical nutritionist Dr Sarah Brewer says: "Being underweight is just as harmful to health as being overweight. A child constantly on a diet may not be getting the vitamins and minerals she needs for normal growth.

"There is a strong risk Aly's daughter will grow up with an unhealthy relationship with food. It sounds like she needs professional advice urgently."