A young Wirral swimmer will shrug off the twin setbacks of severe asthma and an allergy to chlorine take the plunge for England in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Danni Lowe from Bebington was voted Wirral Young Sports Person of the Year in 2011 and was one of the nominees for Merseyside Sports Person of the Year.

She is coached by her  mum Michelle, who said today: “Danni has been through a lot of adversity in such a short space of time, but she has shown such strength of character to come back fighting.

“She has only just turned 19, and her better years are still ahead of her, which is very exciting.”

“She works incredibly hard and deserves this amazing break through as the Commonwealth Games will be her first major senior international and makes up in some way for having had to miss out so badly in the Olympic year with ill-health.”

“She is very excited about being a part of the Games and can't wait to soak up the experience and atmosphere on home ground in Glasgow.”

Danni, a student at Wirral Grammar School for Girls, began swimming at the age of 10 with Birkenhead Swimming Club.

She swam for the City of Liverpool in her early teens and in 2009, Danni qualified for Team GB, aged 14.

She was selected for the European Youth Olympics but the following year she contracted swine flu and took a year out.

Danni was then selected, aged 16, for World Class Programme 2012, Rio and Beyond and was also selected for European Juniors that year.

She was offered a full scholarship to Millfield School in Somerset 2011.

However, a month later she suffered a bout of glandular fever and had to miss the Olympic trials in London in February 2012.

Further illness followed involving infections in the sinus, throat and chest.

Danni has been coached by mum Michelle since 2012. She is based with Bebington Swimming Club but trains at Total Fitness Health and Fitness Centre in Prenton.

Danni’s gruelling training programme consists of ten pool sessions a week when she swims an average of 70 kilometres in addition to gym and land-based work as well as juggling a full time sports-related course at West Cheshire College.