A former model has opened up about the painful medical condition she's suffered with since she was 15, which leaves her 'looking six months pregnant'.
Sam Smalling, who is the wife of Manchester United star Chris Smalling, shared a photo of herself wearing a red dress on Instagram, captioning the post: "Before you congratulate me, please read on," in reference to her stomach which appears to show a 'bump'.
She then opens up about living with IBS and endometriosis - a painful condition that causes the tissue which usually lines the uterus growing outside of it.
In the post, she writes: "Before you congratulate me please know that although it looks like I'm six months into a pregnancy, it's actually just my IBS playing up at it's worse.
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"It's taken some guts for me to post this but hopefully it's for a good cause and people won't be cruel."
She then goes on to say that Instagram is 'so bad' at making women feel insecure, as people choose to show off their 'best angles' and rely on heavy filtering.
Sam continues: "I've suffered with extreme bloating since I was 15.
"I was also diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 18 which is said to also contribute to IBS.
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"If someone else had spoken out about something like this when I was younger (or even now) it would have made me feel that bit better in that situation.
"So if one person with an 'embarrassing' problem sees this and feels comforted by it then it will be worth it.
"Apparently one in five people in the UK suffer from IBS and one in ten from endometriosis so I'm sure there's many out there that suffer in silence.
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"For me, it's led to the most amount of upset and embarrassment."
Sam reveals that, despite eating well and exercising, the condition leaves her feeling 'super unattractive'.
Adding that during her days as a model she would 'starve' herself before a shoot, or 'breathe in and hope the photographer was good with Photoshop'.
She ends the message by encouraging others who are living with similar problems to 'focus on their good bits' and not compare themselves to others.
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"So if you suffer from IBS or any other problem that causes your body to do embarrassing things just know you're not the only one," she writes.
"Everyone has their struggles even if they're not obvious to see on social media.
"Focus on your good bits, focus on your growth and as I've heard 'never compare your behind-the-scenes to other people's highlight reel'."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Sam Smalling