Ellen Hardy and her twin sister, Robyn, had always mirrored each other's behaviour.

Born just two minutes apart, the girls even took the same GCSEs, A-levels and did the same degree.

But in the second year of their games design course at the University of Cumbria, Ellen was struck down with a condition which would completely change her behaviour – but not her sister's.

She suddenly developed an insidious obsession with cleanliness and now always wears gloves, mostly at least two pairs, in a bid to keep her germ-free,

Ellen now owns more than 200 pairs of gloves, some she has has worn every day for the last eight years.

Not only has Ellen's life become a living nightmare because of her condition, it also ended her relationship with the man she loved.

Diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – a common mental health condition causing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours – in August 2016, Ellen is now desperate to raise £10,000 to pay for private treatment at a mental health wellbeing clinic.

Ellen, of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, said: "My problems started when I moved into second year student digs and became obsessed with avoiding germs.


"I started wearing gloves at night to moisturise my hands, but soon realised that by building a barrier between myself and everything else, I was avoiding coming into contact with germs.


"I instantly felt better and before I knew it was wearing three pairs of gloves at once – every day."


Growing up, Ellen, who cannot work because of her condition, and Robyn would happily play outside in fields, getting mucky without a care in the world.


Like two peas in a pod, not only were the sisters identical to look at, they shared the same interests and even studied the same subjects as they grew older.


And it came as no surprise to their marketing director dad Alex and sales manager mum Christine, both 55, when the twins decided to take the same degree at the same university.


Sharing halls in their first year there, they remained incredibly close – going on to move into a rented house near the university campus together for their second year of studies, in September 2012.


Ellen said: "It was your typical student let. A bit rough around the edges, it felt like it hadn't been lived in for a few years.


"I knew that was part of the student deal though and I never thought it would lead to any problems."


Calling herself a 'germaphobe,' Ellen says it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when her OCD tendencies developed.

But she knows they started after she moved into her student house and have been gradually getting worse ever since.

In complete contrast, Robyn has never shown any symptoms.

Ellen said: "It was a very gradual thing, so it's hard to say exactly what triggered my OCD.

"I can't say it's one particular thing or day… it just slowly happened."


At first, she just used her sleeve to open doors, or when changing the TV channel using the remote.


But in January 2013, after using moisturising night gloves to treat her Raynaud's disease, a condition affecting blood circulation in the extremities, Ellen became fixated with wearing the protective garments around the clock.


She said: "I instantly found myself feeling better and, as the months went by, I started having different gloves for different occasions

"I'd have ones for outside, ones for in bed – I even had specific vinyl ones that I'd use when taking out the bins."


By the end of the academic year, Ellen's OCD had cranked up a gear.


She said: "I started to put my phone in a plastic bag, because I didn’t like anyone touching it or it touching other surfaces.


"Then I started wearing hoodies and hats to keep my head and hair covered and always wore long sleeved tops and trousers, so that every part of my body was covered.


"I know it's not rational, but I simply don't want anything getting in."


Sitting through lectures wrapped up in gloves and hats, even during the sweltering summer months, Ellen would go to any lengths to protect herself from germs.


She said: "Out and about, complete strangers would ask me why I was wearing so many layers and I never knew what to say.

"Mental health is very personal. It's not something you share with strangers in the street."


Friends and family soon noticed Ellen's odd behaviour, especially after she started covering herself from top to toe in a "protective layer" of clothing.


And in 2014, after graduating from university, her OCD even started causing problems with her loved ones.


Ellen said: "Some people couldn't understand why I didn't just stop and snap out of it.


"But you can't expect a depressed person to just 'snap out' of their depression, it's the same with OCD.


"It was particularly hard with my sister, she couldn’t understand how I'd changed so much in just a few years.



"At times, it was too much for her – which I understand – but it was hard for me too. I always wished I could just be like her.


"It was like seeing a version of myself that didn't have the crippling OCD."


Desperate to ease tensions with her family and return to her old self, Ellen booked an appointment with her GP in August 2016, and was diagnosed with severe OCD.


She said: "I told him about my behaviour and how I was feeling and he told me there and then what it was."

Referred for a course of CBT, a talking therapy that helps manage problems by changing the way you think and behave, Ellen found the treatment only made her OCD worse.


She said: "I went to four or five sessions and a key part of that was identifying all the obsessive traits and behaviours that I had.


"But being made aware of how many times I would wash my hands in one sitting made me even more obsessed with making sure I stuck to those patterns."


Despite her condition, which involves compulsively washing her hands over 100 times a day, Ellen found love after meeting a fellow Comic-Con, an entertainment and comic book convention, fan online.


She said: "We were able to enjoy a relatively normal relationship despite my OCD.

"Luckily, he was completely understanding and supportive."


But Ellen admits that if they were being intimate she would insist her boyfriend, who she does not want to name, washed "most of his body" first.


Then, in July this year she was dealt a devastating blow when he called things off saying it was because of her OCD, which had stopped her from finding a job and being able to enjoy things that "other couples do."


She said: “We were talking about getting our own place together and as a result all my obsessions became heightened – my OCD was in full swing and he couldn’t deal with it anymore.



"He told me he wanted us to be a normal couple, he wanted to be able to touch me without me running off to the bathroom to wash my face, or to be able give me a kiss without me insisting he wash his mouth first.


“It all just built up over time, it didn’t help seeing other friends in regular relationships either – it just reminded him of all the things we didn’t have."


Realising just how big a wedge her condition was driving between her and the people she was closest to in July Ellen finally took off her gloves and has not put them back on since.


She said: "It hasn't been easy, as my hands have become so sensitive after eight years of using gloves day in day out that I'm having to relearn how to touch and how things feel.
"

Buoyed by her daughter's step in the right direction, her mum started looking for special treatment centres to help her overcome her OCD once and for all.


After scouring the internet, she found a private well-being clinic specialising in OCD treatment, but at a staggering £900 a night, and an advised week-long minimum stay, Ellen and her family are in no position to foot the bill, so have turned to crowdfunding for help.


Explaining how she thinks the clinic will succeed, where CBT failed, Ellen said: "The clinic Mum has found is tailored specifically towards OCD instead of being a blanket treatment for mental health problems.


“These past five weeks have been tough, I still have to use my sleeve to pick things up and I have to wash my hands at least 20 times in each sitting, but I'm determined not to regress.


"I've lost the love of my life because of this condition and I'm determined to win him back."


Still having a break from her boyfriend, Ellen hopes that sharing her story will raise awareness about OCD.


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