WHEN Anna Paterson was persuaded to lay her ghosts to rest she knew she would have to take a huge step and travel to Bolton.

For it was in Bolton that one of the most terrifying ordeals of Anna's childhood took place.

It was a milestone for the 32-year-old, a recovering anorexic, who as a child suffered horrendous abuse at the hands of a woman who should have been caring for her -- her grandmother.

One of her most vivid, and frightening, memories was when her grandmother brought her to Bolton as a six-year-old child .... and abandoned her in the town centre.

Anna knew the only way to get on with her life was to come back to Bolton and re-visit the places she came to with her grandmother.

She says: "I had to confront my fears and return to Bolton. It was the only way I could move on."

Anna, who has written a book about her experiences simply entitled "Anorexic", remembers the childhood experience as if it were yesterday.

She was scared and bewildered and when her grandmother re-appeared, six hours later, she got the blame.

Anna says she suffered both emotionally and physically at the hands of her grandmother, and believes this was the root cause of her anorexia which saw her weight drop to just 4st 10lb.

Her grandmother would tell her never to repeat what had happened to her parents because something dreadful would happen to them.

"I thought she was incredibly powerful and I was frightened." Anna also didn't want to worry her mother who suffered ill-health.

Her grandmother, says Anna, force fed her, locked her in dark rooms, hit her and told her that her parents did not love her.

The result of the abuse and torment was that Anna suffered horrendous emotional and physical problems.

As Anna grew older her problems increased and the anorexia took hold. No amount of medical or psychiatric help could aid Anna, who was spiralling out of control.

But then she met her soon-to-be husband, Simon Teff, also 32, on an internet pen-pal site, and love blossomed.

Simon was, himself, suffering from a low self-esteem, and had regularly suffered from depression, but he gave Anna the will to carry on and improve her life.

He encouraged her to write the book she hopes will help other sufferers and to re-visit the places which held the most fear for her, including Bolton.

She says: "We went to the railway station in Bolton. It brought back memories but it definitely helped me overcome my fears.

"Simon actually proposed to me, on one knee, on the station platform in Bolton, so now it holds particularly happy memories for me."

When Anna was a child her grandmother used to take her all over the country and it was during one of these trips she came to Bolton to visit some family members and stayed in bed and breakfast accommodation in the town.

"When I came back I could remember parts of the town centre, although a lot had changed."

On her second, and happy, visit to Bolton Anna and Simon had a wonderful time and the trip has helped her recovery.

And Anna will be returning to Bolton when she appears in a Channel Four documentary about love.

Anna explains: "I will be coming back to Bolton and I'm looking forward to it."

The documentary will tell Anna and Simon's moving love story, and how they have helped each other more than any professional has been able to.

Anna now weighs a respectable 8, which for her height of 5ft 8ins is not heavy, but is still reasonably healthy and a far cry from her anorexic days when she was also self harming by cutting herself.

She eats anything she wants, although avoids chocolate and cheese because she suffers from migraines, and doesn't count the calories any more.

Anna hopes her experiences can be an inspiration to other sufferers.

She says: "When I came to visit Bolton I saw a girl who was obviously anorexic. It really upset me and I just hope my book can help people who have been through what I have.

"I want them to know there is hope."

Anna and Simon plan to marry in October next year and at the moment they are just both enjoying life.

Anna's grandmother is still alive but has been ostracised by the family since her granddaughter plucked up the courage to tell her parents exactly what happened to her as a child. Her ability to open up to her parents was also thanks to Simon's encouragement.

Anna says: "I have a lot of be thankful to Simon for. If you'd have told me two years ago I'd be engaged, I'd have written a book and about to appear in a documentary I wouldn't have believed you."

Anorexic is published by Westworld International.

Westworld is looking for other couples who have been in a "love saved all" situation just like Anna and Simon, for their documentary due to be filmed in Bolton within the next month.

Anyone who feels they fit the bill should ring Camille Campbell on 020 7245 9956.