A County Durham woman who developed a phobia of flying after a turbulent flight abroad has finally overcome her fears thanks to therapy sessions in a grounded plane.

Natalie Morton, 34, from Ouston saw items "thrown in to the air" due to turbulence during a flight to Turkey 14 years ago - and has found it difficult to take to the skies since.

The mum, who doesn't want to pass on her fears to her children, decided to enter a competition - 'For the Love of Flying' by LoveHolidays in July - and won a place on a group therapy session to combat her fears.

Natalie Morton, 34.Natalie Morton, 34. (Image: LOVEHOLIDAYS)

Natalie said: “I remember when I was 20 years old and experienced really bad turbulence on a flight, where things were thrown into the air on the way to my holiday to Turkey.

“For the next 10 years, I didn’t fly. My mum has a really bad fear of heights, and I’m not good with heights either. I don’t want to pass my fear of flying on to my children.”

Ran by couple Nik and Eva Speakman, the pair worked with Natalie in a group session in a retired DC10 aircraft at Manchester’s Runway Visitor Park.

Natalie Morton, 34.Natalie Morton, 34. (Image: LOVEHOLIDAYS)

The pair worked with her to unpack the root cause of her phobia, before equipping her with coping strategies and gradually exposing her to different triggers related to flying.

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The six-hour session proved transformative for Natalie, who has now discovered a new love for flying.

“I felt like For The Love of Flying was the perfect time to learn more about turbulence and ultimately address my fear, opening the door to create more positive memories with my children.

“I’m ready to go home now and be extra positive and enthusiastic with my kids about flying. They probably won’t even recognise me and think who is this new woman,” she added.