A WOMAN who once weighed just 5st while battling anorexia has told how she bravely turned her life around to become a record-breaking base jumper.
Daniela Dragan entered the fight of her life when anorexia took hold, but after conquering the cruel disease, she now cheats death in a different way.
The daredevil has soared to new heights in recent years performing death-defying stunts and becoming one of just three woman to base-jump the Angel Falls.
The 30-year-old told The Sun how she climbed out of the “blackhole” of her illness to become the fearless person she is today.
Anorexia first reared its ugly head after Daniela was sent away a UK boarding school, far away from her home in Russia.
She said the move was “super stressful” and she found it “very difficult to integrate” given that she didn’t speak English.
Her illness progressively worsened during her education – to a point where one day, at a weight of just 5 stone, she could no longer walk.
“I wanted to disappear and for my parents to notice me and to see I wasn’t happy and I was dying,” she said.
Something had to change, and so, Daniela started to try some of the things she had always wanted to do, and skydiving was one of them.
“It was follow my dreams or die,” she said.
Talking about the sport, she explained: “When I skydive I have to be in the moment, although it’s only a minute of free fall that’s enough.
“Your brain doesn’t think about money or career or calories, the feeling is worth a million.
“I feel calm and for once I don’t have millions of thoughts.”
Now, years after her illness, the 30-year-old is unrecognisable from her former self.
Just last year she proposed an ambitious and terrifying stunt to her skydiving expert friend, Tim.
The feat would see her dangle from material beneath a hot air balloon 10,000ft in the sky while performing aerobatics.
She would then release her grip and plunge towards earth at 120 mph.
Then, all being well, she would open her parachute and land in a nearby field.
Consistent with his calm and collected character, Tim simply replied: “Yep sure, lets do it.”
The logistics of the stunt were far from easy, and involved a whole crew of people to make it happen.
It needed six months of extensive planning and everyone involved had to be prepared for the worst case scenario.
Even on the day of the stunt, Daniela said she thought the challenge might one step too far.
“I was scared the parachute would come out early and get stuck in the balloon and we would all die,” she said.
But the brave aerialist continued despite her concern, and ended up achieving something remarkable.
In breathtaking footage, Daniela elegantly dances above the clouds while clinging to two long red silks suspended from a balloon.
She then dramatically drops away and free falls through the clouds out of sight.
Once she had landed safely, the video quality was the last thing on her mind.
“When I landed I forgot about the shot,” she said.
“I just couldn’t believe it worked so smoothly without any injuries.
“It was very difficult because the silks were cold and hard to hold onto especially with the heavy parachute.
“I don’t know how but it worked, after so much training and so many hurdles i just couldn’t believe it.”
But the daredevil wasn’t finished yet, and before the dust had settled she was already plotting her next formidable adventure.
Daniela firmly set her sights on becoming the third woman to base jump the monstrous Angel Falls in Venezuela.
The jump was fraught with risk and few had ever attempted it.
During her attempt, Daniela ended up landing in the tree tops as she couldn’t make the landing area.
But she described it as a “incredibly memorable” experience.
“Before the jump was so quiet you could hear a bee fly past, I have no words to describe it,” she said.
And the native people were so impressed by her bravery, they gifted her a piece of local gold.
Daniela has also performed two other spectacular stunts.
In one of the epic feats, she hung from a hoop above a monstrous waterfall – with no safety mat.
And during the other, she jumped off a cliff hanging onto a fellow jumper with a aerobatics ring attached below his parachute.
She then shuffles down onto the hoop to perform a routine terrifyingly close to the ground and with no reserve parachute.
Daniela told how base jumping has helped her with body dysmorphia.
She even said she was “grateful” to have gained weight as it can be helpful to have some extra weight for protection after a bad landing – or insulation from the cold on hikes to the top of a cliff.
Daniela believes the key to getting out of a dark place is to try and change something in your life, whether that’s your job, relationship or where you live.
She said: “The feeling of anorexia is like a deep dark hole sucking the life out of you.
“I think it means something is wrong in your life, your job, where you live, or something and it needs to change, you cant keep working where your not happy.”
She added: “I never thought I would get here, I’m so happy.”
