Bionic Woman Viktoria Modesta Tells Her Shocking Story.

Wearing fetish costumes, showing off long, toned limbs and showcasing a strut to rival Beyonce's, Viktoria Modesta has made her powerful debut -  as the ultimate bionic woman.

But this singer - whose video Prototype aired on Channel 4 during the X Factor final - is no ordinary popstar, she's an amputee who fought to remove her painful, useless left leg so she could fulfil her dreams of music success.

Now the 26-year-old, who wore a shiny black spike as a prosthetic in the sexy six-minute video, is determined to use her body and past to challenge Britain's notions of disability.

The video has already had eight million views and includes a beautiful dance in which Viktoria spins on the black shard that extends from above her knee down to a sharp point on the floor.

Yet this clever routine and glossily-styled shoot masks Viktoria's years of pain, in which doctors told her mother to put her in a home and she endured 15 operations - only relieved when she convinced UK surgeons that her leg should be removed. 

She tells FEMAIL: ‘I was born in Latvia when it was still in the USSR and my mother had a really complicated birth.

‘There was doctor's negligence during the birth which meant they dislocated my leg and hip.

‘After that, there were several corrective procedures, including putting the leg in a plaster when I was two weeks old, but sadly that actually stalled the growth of my leg.

‘By the time I was six, there was a considerable difference between my two legs and I had 15 surgeries to try and correct the problem from then until I turned 12.’

While growing up with a disability in any country is difficult, Viktoria says that in the USSR, it was tantamount to a life sentence from the moment she was born.

After doctors realised there were mobility issues with her leg, they kept her from her parents for five days and eventually advised that she was sent away to live in a children’s home.

Viktoria said: ‘Society in that time - they would have put me in a children's home and hidden me away from the eyes of the public.

‘I'm so thankful for my mother because she couldn't understand how society could put such a burden on a defenceless, blameless child. She never let me think I was anything but perfect.’

But although her parents gave her unlimited support, the outside world was much more cruel.

Throughout her childhood, Viktoria battled to be seen as anything other than a disabled child.

She said: ‘Growing up in Latvia, you can't be a stylish, intelligent person if you're disabled.

‘That was the propaganda that was placed on me.

‘Forget all of the superficial elements like the fact I couldn’t wear heels and skirts, it also really affected my physicality.

‘I couldn't do sport, I couldn't even walk for very long.

‘I was embarrassed because it made people not know who I really was.'

When Viktoria and her parents immigrated to London and she started senior school, her problems only worsened as her disability made her a target for bullies.

She said: ‘I barely went to school when I was in Latvia because I was in and out of hospital and when I came to England, I went to school for a couple of years and endured a lot of bullying.

‘It was very extreme, I can honestly say there were times in my teenage years when it was very difficult.

‘It was even more of a problem because the teachers weren't responsive to any of it.

‘I ended up leaving school when I was 14 and I remember at the time, social services actually threatened my parents with deportation because they were saying I wasn't going to school, but I couldn’t because I was being treated so badly.’

It was only after Viktoria left school and started to focus on her music and fashion that she began to gain confidence in herself.

She started to experiment with performance art and clothing, finding her sense of style.

But the inability to use her leg was a constant issue, making her embarrassed and ashamed.

She said: ‘By the time I was 16, I was starting to discover the direction of the person I wanted to be.

‘I had strong interests in fashion, music and nightlife, but at the same time, people would meet me in a crowded venue and think I had some charisma and then think I didn't really follow through because of the condition I had with my leg.

‘It really affected me on a day-to-day basis.’

Viktoria became convinced that the only solution was to have her leg amputated and went to a surgeon to ask for the operation.

But she was turned down.

She said: ‘They felt that even though my leg was so damaged, it was still my own and why would you get rid of a part of your body?’

Viktoria then went away for several years and met up with various specialists and people who deal with prosthetics, building her case so that she could convince doctors to give her the operation.

She said: ‘These experts told me that my life was going to be great after the amputation, because with the help of false limbs I would feel completely balanced.

‘It felt like a life or death situation at the time.

‘You hear of people who undergo sex changes, where you are living in a body but feel very disconnected with it - it was very much like I needed to gain control of my own body.

‘After a few years, I organised a meeting with a surgeon and presented him with all of the facts that I had found and he agreed to go through with the procedure.’

After her leg was removed, Viktoria says the relief was instant.

She said: ‘Immediately afterwards, I felt better.

‘Before, it felt like I had a map of negative history attached to me.

‘I'm sure the morphine had a part to play, but waking up from the operation, being able to move the covers, and not have anything there at all that gave you any feelings, was amazing.

‘It wasn't negative, it wasn't positive, it was a clean slate.’

Since then, Viktoria has spent the last few years honing her craft as a pop singer and using her disability as a positive.

As is evidenced in the music video for Prototype, she makes a feature of her prosthetic limb, whether it is bejewelled or a menacing spike.

The six-minute film cost Channel 4 £200,000 to produce and was created simply with the aim of sparking a conversation about disability.

Viktoria hopes the music video will launch a new discussion about people with disabilities in this country, so that soon it no longer defines who you are.

She said: ‘I hope we are very close to the point where people understand that the expectations for disabled people need to be raised dramatically.

‘It isn't about finding someone inspirational just because they get out of bed.

‘I have met several people who work in the disabled community who say that attitude is really quite patronising and damaging.

‘It's about the encouragement of people like myself to come out and say there is a place for them if they are willing to work.

‘I didn't get here by wishing that the world just accepted me, I got here by working really, really hard and believing that the script that was written for me wasn't the one that I was going to live.

‘But I do believe that the shift of power is in people like myself.

‘Because if you walk into a room and act like a victim and expect to be treated like that, then you will be.’

‘I think the world is generally moving into a more accepting place, but there is a long way to go.

‘It's still so shocking when you see someone with a missing arm on television.’

‘There is a lot of work to be done.’  Dailymail reportage.

WOW!!!..I AM SPEECHLESS.I hope this encourages someone!