A highly charged new musical tackling the subject of a Teddington mother’s 13-year battle with anorexia will hit Hampton Hill Theatre next month.

When Strawberries Are Not Enough by 38 year-old Charley Williams, from Church Lane, will run for five nights from April 25.

It draws on many of Ms Williams’ experiences while ill but with a fictional plot.

The musical follows the protagonist Hannah, a talented and bright young girl, who starts to suffer from the eating disorder after being bullied.

Ms Williams said most people have misconceptions about the disorder and that she hopes her musical will allow people to relate to it.

She said: “I don’t think people understand it is an addiction and a phobia.

“Everyone understands a phobia of spiders, for example. Anorexia is like a phobia of food and weight gain an an addiction to weight loss.

“It’s about what food is going to do to you if you put it in your mouth.

“I hope (the musical) will penetrate people’s minds about what it’s like to be anorexic. Music is something people can relate to.”

Ms Williams said she wrote the songs as a form of therapy while ill, and once in recovery she decided to create a musical, staying up all night on August 31 2010 to pen the play.

Six and a half years later with the help of her father, who co-wrote the script, she will see the play debut at the Hampton Hill Theatre.

Ms Williams said her daughter Daisy helped inspire her to finally beat the disease, and get her musical onto the stage.

She said even creating When Strawberries Are Not Enough, so named because at one stage she was only eating 100 grams of strawberries three times a day, was achievement enough.

She said: “I am both excited and a bit nervous as well. I want this to be a big success. But however it does on the day just getting it on stage is such an achievement.

“If we can help to raise awareness of anorexia, that’s even better.

“I hope there might be someone out there struggling with anorexia who sees this and thinks if I can get over it, so can they.”