A WORCESTERSHIRE teenager rubbed shoulders with the stars including Liz Hurley, Joan Collins and Burt Bacharach at a glitzy and glamorous London Ball.

Antonia Payne-Cheney of Eckington, near Pershore experienced the full glare of the paparazzi when she attended a fundraising event.

The 18-year-old, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), with gastrointestinal failure, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition which left her in hospital for three-and-a-half years, was a special guest at Caudwell Children’s annual Butterfly Ball, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London, on Wednesday (June 22).

Joan Collins, Elizabeth Hurley, David Haye, and Sarah, Duchess of York, were among a host of guests at the glamorous fundraising event which raised over £1.7million for the Staffordshire based national charity, Caudwell Children.

The charity, which provides practical and emotional support for disabled children and their families, welcomed over 800 guests at the Ball.

The night culminated in an exclusive performance by Burt Bacharach the legendary six-time Grammy and two-time Academy Award winning songwriter.

The all-girl group All Saints and singer, Gabrielle also entertained guests on the night.

Antonia, a beneficiary of the charity, posed with a selection of guests on the red carpet ahead of the event and she was clearly delighted to be the centre of attention for the evening.

Trudi Beswick, chief executive for Caudwell Children, said that Antonia appeared to enjoy the media limelight. As she explained: “She happily posed on the red carpet with a number of celebrity guests and she had a fantastic time, she was in her element.”

The evening’s auction, which was hosted by renowned charity auctioneer, Charlie Ross, raised over £1.7million for the charity founded by the entrepreneur and philanthropist, John Caudwell.

Featuring in the exclusive auction was original signed artwork by Damien Hurst, a seven night stay on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, an F1 Grand Prix experience in Abu Dhabi and Silverstone and a Bhutan adventure with Swedish explorer, Johan Ernst Nilson.

Proceeds from the event will be used to transform the lives of disabled children living in the UK through a range of services.

Since 2000 the charity has provided over £37million worth of support and helped over 20,000 families from across the UK.

VIP guests carried the party on into the small hours with an after-show party in the hotel’s Red Bar with a DJ set from legendary BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1 Extra’s Trevor Nelson.

The star-studded evening was hosted by singer, model, presenter and Caudwell Children Ambassador, Rachel Stevens and singer Simon Webbe, from boy band Blue.

Charity chief executive, Trudi Beswick, said: "We are delighted at the overwhelming support we received from all of our guests on the night."