A former drama student whose dream of becoming an actress was ruined when she grew to 6ft 5in is suing the NHS for £2m for failing to spot her growth condition.

Kate Woodward, 20, claims an untreated pituitary gland tumour led to excessive growth and bone abnormalities. Stephen Grime, QC, told the High Court in London that when she was a child, doctors at St James's University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary failed to diagnose her tumour.

"Her life has been ruined. Not taken away, not completely ruined, not in the same category as a brain-damaged tetraplegic, but in a whole series of ways her life has been grievously affected," he said.