Having been told she would “be in a wheelchair before she was 30”, a coach now leads fitness classes at Three Rivers gyms.

Amy Kirk was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) when she was just 18 and aiming to apply to dance schools with a dream of becoming a pro.

“I came down with glandular fever when I was 16, which caused me to experience severe fatigue which wouldn’t go away,” she said. “As someone who had always had such a strong passion for sport and dance, it felt as if my dreams were disappearing before they’d even begun.”

Amy carried on dancing, as well as teaching kids' dance classes, and went to university to do fashion as her symptoms eased for a while. However, in her first year of university “things started getting bad again”.

The 33-year-old said: “It became clear that I had pushed myself too far since my diagnosis. I was then diagnosed with ME when I was 18 and became bedbound.

“During an appointment one day, my doctor told me I was going to be in a wheelchair by the time I was 30.

Amy Kirk.Amy Kirk. (Image: Everyone Active)

“Having already suffered for the last three years at this point this announcement acted as a trigger, a catalyst for my determination that I was going to give myself a better quality of life and help others do the same.”

Over time, Amy started getting back into the gym, which helped alleviate her symptoms and improved her strength. She then became front of house at South Oxhey Leisure Centre before working her way up.

Now the fitness manager for Everyone Active at its William Penn and South Oxhey leisure centres, and co-founder of Ronin MMA Fitness, she leads varied exercise classes for hundreds of people a week.

The HIIT, boxing, and circuits coach is also a dedicated fundraiser, most recently taking on an eight-hour cross-trainer challenge which saw her raise more than £3,000 for The ME Association.

Everyone Active general manager Billy Johnston said: “Amy is the kindest person I know, and we are beyond proud to have her as part of our team.

“She has transformed so many people’s lives just by being herself, and I can’t wait to see what she achieves next.”