Sophia's brave journey inspired by star Shirley

A YOUNG girl who had lifesaving heart surgery as a baby has competed for Britain in ballroom dancing after being mentored by Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas.

- By Matthew Barbour

Sophia Morton, 11, was inspired to take up dancing after watching the hit BBC celebrity dancing contest five years ago.

Now having won hundreds of medals and trophies, and competed internationally, she has become the face of Alder Hey Hospital’s Children’s Charity campaign, which has called for the Government to “put children first”.

The young Liverpudlian was treated at the hospital when she was just nine months old, critically ill and under weight.

Her parents, Laura and James, feared the worst after she suffered a massive cardiac arrest, with one lung completely collapsed because of a fluid build-up.

But following a seven-hour operation, a doctor approached them, picked up her chart and said: “Don’t worry, she’s a superhero, she'll be fine.” And the doctor was

operation where we'd be home quite soon, but then Sophia suffered a cardiac arrest.”

After opening up her chest, surgeons found her faulty heart had also caused major issues with her fluid-filled lungs, one of which had completely collapsed and the other was blue through lack of oxygen.

“She still weighed less than 11lbs and we just panicked that she couldn’t survive such a massive operation,” Laura said.