A year ago Julia was a drug-dependent prostitute plying her trade on Southampton's streets. But now, as she tells KATE THOMPSON the 18-year-old has transformed her life...

LOOKING at Julia as she cuddles her beautiful young daughter, it's hard to believe how different life used to be. Beneath the tough exterior, Julia, 18, is just a girl for whom life went badly wrong.

Every step of the way during the past few years her life could have been oh-so-different - but sadly she went into freefall until she hit rock bottom.

Her descent into hell began when her family life fell apart and she succumbed to an unsuitable boyfriend.

She had been bright and talented at school and wanted to be a doctor or a vet. But everything was to change as she turned 13.

Things were rocky at home. Mum Carolyn was pre-occupied with a new partner and nobody seemed to question why she had turned her back on school in favour of boys, drink and drugs.

She had experimented with cannabis and Ecstasy but her life took a turn for the worse when her 'boyfriend' encouraged her to take crack cocaine.

Having got her hooked, Julia's 'boyfriend' told her he couldn't afford to keep supplying her and she would have to go on the game to finance her habit.

She started off working for agencies but eventually landed up on the streets - taking her life into her hands getting into punters' cars to perform sex acts.

At her worst, Julia was earning thousands of pounds selling her body and yet she had nothing to show for it. The money paid for her drugs and satisfied the men who pimped from her.

She was living in a disgusting hovel that resembled something out of Life of Grime and she did not care enough to keep her own body clean.

"I was filthy and where I was living was disgusting - we just didn't care. All I wanted was drugs," she said.

Every time she tried to claw her way out of the dark pit of despair and depravity that she inhabited, she was dragged back below the surface.

She thought she would be on the game and taking drugs forever - but her life changed due to the love of a good man.

He encouraged her to give up the drugs and she showed immense strength by going cold turkey and coming off heroin.

He hated the fact that she was a prostitute and with his encouragement she came off the game.

They married and eight months ago, Charlotte was born."She means everything to me - she has given me a reason. She is more important."

Julia is now concentrating on the future. She is learning to be a hairdresser and would like eventually to go to university.

"I didn't get any GCSEs but if I had stayed at school I would have done well.

"I am enjoying learning about hairdressing and I want to have my own business. I want to do a management course at university.

"I have been through an awful lot, more than most people go through in a lifetime - and now I just want to be normal," she said.