Mum told she was “cruel” for having her son after he was born with severe cleft lip

A mum who was told she was “cruel” for having her son after he was born with a rare severe cleft lip says it has never held him back.

Zac Coates, now 18, was born with Tessier cleft lip and palate – a condition which is caused by facial tissues not joining up properly during development.

It left Zac with severe facial disfigurement on his ride side and he had no eye lid which left him blind in his right eye.

Mum, Joanne Lythgoe-Frank, 58, was “shocked” when she first saw her son but raised him to accept his differences.