A Japanese lady in her 20s has shared shocking photos which show the harrowing reality of domestic abuse.

The images show how her weight dropped to just 2 stone 6 pounds after being starved by her grandfather.

Identified only as Wild Cabbage on Twitter, she took the shocking images in front of a mirror when she was living with her grandfather 10 years ago. She says she was banned from eating and that her grandfather would “kick her in the belly” if he caught her secretly having food.

She claims she was told by medics – when she was finally able to get some help – that she was just 10 minutes from death. She says she is now sharing them to urge domestic violence victims to “ask for help before it’s too late”.

She has shared more recent photos that show she is now of healthy weight and happy once again.