A MAN who lost his entire left leg to bone cancer when he was 17 feels “proud" and "empowered” after taking part in a BBC documentary and photoshoot shot by top photographer Rankin.

Damian Harper, 48, of Sandstone Drive, Whiston, who lost his left leg and buttock to the disease and wears a high tech prosthetic leg, is one of four people featured on a BBC 4 documentary called No Body’s Perfect with Rankin and disabled artist Alison Lapper, which will air tonight, Thursday at 9pm.

The programme aims to tackle contemporary attitudes of beauty and identity through the medium of photography by discussing the problems each of the four featured people face and results in a photoshoot where they confront their own image in the hope they will discover a new sense of self.

Former Grange Park pupil, Damian, said: “The picture Rankin took of me hangs on my wall and really inspires me every day.

“I never knew that I could be the man in the picture, but now I look at that and do not feel weak or unconfident like I used to, I see a strong and defiant man.

“I’m really proud that I took taking part in the programme and though I did it for me as a way for me to face my issues, if it helps anyone out there who is an amputee or who has body image issues then that is just a fantastic bonus."

He added: “I was so young when I dealt with what happened to me that I did not deal with my emotional issues and tried to get on my life, but it caught up to me.

“I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after struggling with how I look and how I felt other people saw me, but this show has really empowered me.

“There are some days I feel battered by it all still but this process has really given me some confidence and Alison and Rankin could not have been nicer.”

No Body’s Perfect will air tonight, November 10 at 9pm on BBC4.