HOPES are high that a cure can be found for one girl's mystery illness, after a Kent Messenger story led to worldwide media coverage.

On February 8, the Kent Messenger reported on the strange-but-true tale of Natalie Cooper, a 17-year-old girl from Shepway, Maidstone, who suffers from a condition which prevents her from eating all food...except tic tacs.

That caught the media's attention and sent the story, along with Natalie's search for a cure, worldwide.

Articles in the national press led to the story hopping to news websites in Estonia, India, and the USA, while appearances on regional television in England were followed up with a spot on America's CBS channel.

Meanwhile, the story has already achieved more than 18,000 page views on Kent Online.

'Big surprise'

Natalie has spoken again about the huge and unexpected media frenzy. She confessed: "It was a big surprise to see it on the front page; it was shocking. We thought it was just going to be a tiny article."

Natalie explained she was more bothered about people finding out at her school from the Kent Messenger article than in America from Fox News.

She added: "I wasn't really bothered, no one in America knows me. I was bit iffy about TV but you just think you might as well go on it.

"My close friends already knew about it but others at school didn't. They ask 'are you really like that? Is it only tic tacs you can eat? Can you not eat this? If I gave you this what would happen?'

"Or they do the sympathy act, which I hate. It's a bit of a hassle, but I don't mind doing it because someone might come forward to help."

The Kent Messenger has received several offers of assistance from others affected by similar disorders. All have been passed on to the Cooper family.