A schoolgirl who is her mother and brother's carer and responsible for the running of their family home has revealed looking after others is all she can remember.

Emily Wood, 11, from Cononley, North Yorkshire, admitted she has had to grow up fast as her mother and older brother Joseph both rely on her to do the cooking, cleaning and washing while her father works full-time so they can pay the bills.

Emily's mother, Hayley, 48, suffers from mitochondrial myopathy, a debilitating condition that affects all her muscles.

Emily Wood, 11, is a carer for her mother Hayley, 48, who has mitochondrial myopathy, a debilitating condition that affects all her muscles

Emily does all the household chores while her father, Kevin, centre, works full-time. Her brother, Joseph, right, helps when he can but also has symptoms of mitochondrial myopathy

Explaining her condition, Hayley told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on today's This Morning: 'It affects all my muscles, for example, it is difficult to eat, to talk and to manage day-to-day living as I am so weak.'

Her son, Joseph, has a similar condition although his symptoms come in waves so he helps around the house whenever he is able to.

The rest of the time, the burden of responsibility falls on Emily who said: 'I have been looking after my mum since I can remember.'

Hayley gets some support a few hours a week from care workers but said she wouldn't be able to cope without the help of her selfless daughter.

She said: 'Emily does a lot of me: she cooks, cleans, does washing, makes pack lunches and goes to the shops.

'Medically she helps me get my feeding tube in place, she is there if I am sick; she will get me sick bowls and she gives me cuddles when I need it.'

Emily helps around the house doing the washing and cooking and making her mother cups of tea. Emily is one of 700,000 young carers across the UK aged under 18

The terminally ill mother said she wishes their roles could be reversed so she was the one looking after her daughter.

'As a parent it is difficult to depend on your child, I want to care for her and be the mum and do normal things mums do,' Hayley said.

Emily is one of 700,000 young carers across the UK aged under 18. She gets some relief from local support groups who give her the opportunity to play with other children and meet others in a similar situation to her.

She said she enjoys this as she often misses out due to her responsibilities at home.

She said: 'I like making meals for my family as I feel I have helped out and I can leave my mum to rest and my dad to work.

'Sometimes I do have to tell friends I can't always do stuff with them, I think I have got used to it and I have grown up more quickly than other children.'

The family appeared on today's This Morning to share their story with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford

Her father Kevin said it breaks their hearts that their daughter, who loves dancing and archery, has missed out on a carefree childhood.

'We worry about her loss of childhood, there is a bit of her childhood missing and she has been forced to take on responsibilities earlier than she would have done,' he said.

He added that he worries about Emily returning home from school while he is at work to find her mum in a bad way.

'When I go out to work and Emily fills in the gaps, she gets home from school and doesn't know what she will find,' he said.

'I have come home before and found Hayley on the floor, and one day that could be Emily [finding her].'

The little girl said she enjoys being at school where she can 'forget' the troubles at home for a time, but she wants to carry on helping people when she is older.