Carol Mutch from Bromborough used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day. She'd done so for 32 years.

In April last year she went for her regular asthma review with her GP and the results showed the condition had worsened.

Carol, 49, noticed that she was struggling to walk up a flight of stairs without getting breathless, and with the fear of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in future, she knew it was time to quit.

Now she has finally managed to kick the habit - thanks to a free NHS health support programme in Wirral.

With support from the Livewell team and a healthy amount of willpower and determination, Carol was finally able to say she was a non-smoker on May 1.

She said she feels proud of her achievement - her only regret is that she didn’t do it sooner.

Carol said: “I’ve been meaning to quit for a while now but never have, so I’m just pleased that I’ve finally done it.

"The support from members of the Livewell team was amazing, I couldn’t have done it without them. Their friendly support, knowledge and expertise was invaluable to me.

“I’d encourage anyone else thinking of quitting just to give it a go – Livewell really can help.

"I’ve already told a work colleague to contact her GP and my husband isn’t allowed in the house when he’s had a cigarette! I can’t stand the smell anymore.”

She said was encouraged to contact the Livewell Programme by her GP and the practice nurses, who told her about the various free stop smoking clinics available locally to her.

After making that first crucial step, Carol then committed to a personalised quit plan which provided her with regular one-to-one support and motivation, and advice on how she can eat more healthily and cope with stress.

She noticed her asthma and breathing improved after just four weeks of quitting and she was using her asthma inhalers less often.

Not only that, but she soon realised that her taste and smell had also improved, and she was able to use less salt on food as she could taste it better.

She’s also made healthy swaps by snacking on fruit at work instead of lighting up a cigarette!

But the benefits of stopping smoking haven’t just stopped at her health – Carol admits that she now saves more than £100 a month which she enjoys spending on the finer things in life.

She is looking forward to travelling to the Canary Islands in the next couple of weeks and has also since joined a local gym, where she has already noticed a huge improvement in her fitness.