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"I saw people getting their arms and legs chopped off for no reason" says Dutch National Ballet star Michaela DePrince.

Ms DePrince was adopted from Sierra Leone during their civil war, where she witnessed many atrocities.

She said a skin condition had caused her to be ranked number 27, the least favourite child in the orphanage.

She said "I was starving all the time" because number 27 was fed less than number one, but a magazine with a ballerina on the front gave her "something to live for".

This clip is originally from 5 live Afternoon Edition on January 5 2015.