DEVOTED chocoholic Nicola Stewart is going cold turkey to raise money for a children’s hospice.

The 41 year-old human resources worker has had a bar of chocolate a day for as long as she can remember, and has already booked trips to the Hotel Chocolate factory and Cadbury’s world this year to indulge her passion for the stuff.

So after winning an afternoon tea raffle from Zoe’s Place, the hospice for babies and infants in Middlesbrough Nicola, from Ingleby Arncliffe, near Northallerton, was so impressed by the centre and the work they do she decided she had to give something back.

“I know nearly everyone loves chocolate, but I really do, I’ve been to all the chocolate places, so I thought that would be a real challenge, giving up chocolate for four months. I am halfway through now, I finish at the end of October and it really has been a struggle,” said Mrs Stewart.

But she’s determined her family shouldn’t be deprived as well so husband David and nine year-old daughter Katherine have been allowed to carry on munching their way through chocolate bars and boxes of chocolates.

“I thought the craving would stop after a couple of weeks, but it’s there all the time, it hasn’t gone away. I work for the Forestry Commission and it’s fine when I’m outside but we work in an open plan office and there’s always chocolate biscuits and sweets around, and they’re always trying to tempt me, it’s very difficult.

“But I am determined not to let any pass my lips,I have been good, but I have to be strict with myself. I just can’t wait for the day when I can tuck in to chocolate biscuits and chocolate bars and brownies and hot chocolate, it will be wonderful.”

Mrs Stewart is raising money through Virgin Money Giving, she’s already raised £56 and hopes to reach over £100.