I have the same jaw condition as Lancashire's Zoe Ball - I was on a blended diet for two years

Lauren Bolton, 30, has had jaw pain since the age of 15 and was only able to eat soups and shakes for nearly two years.

The condition - called temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ) - affects the movement of her jaw, ears, and temple and leaves her in excruciating pain.

Strangers have donated £95,000 for Lauren to have a surgery to replace her jaw joint - as the joint is too far damaged.

Lauren has already undergone two surgeries - costing £30k - to burn off the inflamed tissue - which meant she was able to return to work and eat again.

Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball, 54, revealed on Wednesday (November 27) she is suffering with TMJ and wakes up most days with headaches and jaw clenching.

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Zoe announced she was stepping down from her breakfast show after six years at the helm.

Lauren, who works in business development, from Helmshore, said: "I think it is amazing Zoe is sharing [what she's going through].

"To have someone on a platform speak out about it and the sacrifices you've got to make.

"She's had to come away from her role. I'm sure that wasn't an easy decision."

Lauren first started getting jaw pain aged 15 which was initially dismissed for anxiety and stress of her upcoming exams and from grinding her teeth.

She was given a set of jaw exercise and given painkillers but Lauren's agony became progressively worse.

"My jaw was locked,” she said.

Lauren was finally given a scan aged 25 which revealed her disc was displaced.

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Doctors tried "washing out" the joint space and giving her Botox but it got so bad Lauren was put on a blended diet.

She also had to give up her job as a therapist.

She said: "I thought it was going to be a temporary thing.

"It was just short of two years that I was on a blended diet.

"I lost weight. I was five-and-a-half stone at my lowest."

"I said to the doctors - 'I'm not able to eat. I'm living on soup and stuff'.

"They said 'drink Maccies milkshakes every day'.

"I was so upset."

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Lauren decided to go private to get an answer and was finally told she had temporomandibular joint disease in 2023.

She said: "The diagnosis was a relief."

But the treatment came with a £95,000 cost - to replace the TMJ jaw joint.

Lauren and her parents, Denise, 56, and dad Paul, 53, put out a fundraiser and managed to raise £65k and were given the rest by an anonymous donor.

But her surgeon recommended she have some operations to fix her pain first - as a replacement jaw joint will likely only last 10 to 15 years.

Lauren underwent a procedure in May 2024 to burn off all the inflamed tissue and to put the displaced discs back in the right place.

For five months Lauren's pain became manageable.

She said: "I started to live my life again.

"I'm eating."

But Lauren then started to notice her pain was increasing again and in November she had a surgery to inject platelet-rich plasma into the joint.

Unfortunately Lauren is still struggling with pain and will now look at the operation for jaw joint replacement in the new year.

But she is off her blended diet and was able to enjoy an Italian meal for her 30th birthday.

Lauren said: "I had seafood pasta.

"We had a 'fakemas' recently. I've already had my Christmas dinner - I couldn't eat it last year.

"This is more than just my story - temporomandibular joint disorders are not well understood or well managed and the long-term results are horrendous.

"It is heartbreaking to think so many other people are living the way I have been forced to.”