The mother of a teenager who dreamed of becoming a fashion model told today how her life was tragically cut short when she suffered an epileptic fit in the bath and drowned.

Julie Coulthurst was just 19 when she suffered the fit and died despite her father's desperate attempts to revive her at his home in Killinghall Road, Bradford.

Julie's mum, Linda Norfolk, said the tragedy had left the family broken-hearted and told how her daughter battled for years against the stigma of the condition.

Bradford Coroner's Court heard yesterday how her father David Coulthurst broke down the locked bathroom door, dragged her out of the bath and desperately tried to revive her without success.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Coroner Roger Whittaker said the "tragic case" highlighted the difficulties parents faced in supervising children who suffer from epilepsy.

The court was told Julie had been alone in the bath at the time of her fit on Christmas Eve and her father only became aware of the problem when she failed to respond to his call.

Mr Whittaker said it was important that epilepsy sufferers were supervised when bathing but admitted it was a "sensitive situation" when a teenage girl was staying with her father.

Her mother Linda, 42, said Julie had struggled throughout her life to come to terms with the limits placed on her independence because of her condition.

Although Julie lived with her mother in Leeds Road, Thornbury, she visited her father on Christmas Eve, usually with her sister Michelle, also an epilepsy sufferer.

"She always went to her dad's on Christmas Eve so that I could get her presents wrapped up and cook the Christmas dinner," said Linda. "Christmas will never be the same for any of us."

She said Julie suffered from epilepsy since she was six months old but the fits became more serious as she grew older.

"Julie used to get down a bit and desperately wanted a normal life but couldn't have it," said Linda. "Everything she did had to be supervised and she couldn't do much really.

"She desperately wanted to work with children and tried lots of jobs. Her ambition was to be a model, she was tall and had the looks, but she couldn't cope with the flashing of the photographer's lights."

And Linda said Julie grew increasingly frustrated by the limits on her freedom.

"Even when she went out with her friends to pubs and clubs, she couldn't drink and she had to sit in the corner of the dance floor," she said. "It was the normal things in life that she couldn't do like driving a car or even working in an office."

Her grandmother June Norfolk said the family's loss had still not sunk in.

"I still expect to see her standing there every time the door goes," she said. "The house is so quiet without her."

Barbara Pinder, of Yeadon-based campaign group Epilepsy Action, said: "Epilepsy is particularly hard to deal with because it still has a stigma attached to it. When children reach their teenage years, they face a lot of new issues relating to their independence.

"It is a difficult balance for teenagers and their parents."