Bywater 'horrified' by thin images

EastEnders star Hetti Bywater has revealed her shock that she has become a "thinspiration" for young girls.

Images of the 17-year-old actress, who plays Lucy Beale in the soap, have appeared on an internet forum portraying her as a role model to encourage sufferers with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia to look like her.

"Hetti is horrified her image is used this way," her spokeswoman told The Sun.

Hetti, who made her first appearance on the BBC soap in January, previously admitted that taking over the role from Melissa Suffield was quite an emotional experience.

"When I first went on set, it was really, really overwhelming because I've watched EastEnders basically all my life, since I was seven," she told the soap's official website.

"Seeing all the characters was completely amazing, and I absolutely love Ian Beale! Meeting him was just incredible and I was lost for words, I didn't know what to say to him."