A little boy who lost his foot at 18 months has become a model and now he travels the world posing for famous brands including Primark, Amazon and Schuh. <br /><br />Arlo Tate, nine, was diagnosed with fibular hemimelia - a missing fibula - at birth. <br /><br />An "abnormality" was picked up at his 20-week scan - but doctors were unsure what his condition was at the time.<br /><br />His right foot was bent inwards so doctors suggested his parents allow them amputate his foot so he could learn to walk with a prosthetic leg. <br /><br />Mum Naomi, 38, says walking with prosthesis was incredibly easy and Arlo hasn't let his disability hold him back.<br /><br />Naomi says his friends weren’t aware Arlo even had a disability - as he plays football, basketball and rugby with them. <br /><br />In March 2020, Arlo was scouted by a diverse modelling agency who wanted to sign him up and he has since travelled to Prague, London and Manchester - being paid £500 a shoot for brands like Primark, Amazon and Schuh. <br /><br />Naomi, a property investment consultant, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “Arlo has beaten the odds to become a model before he’s even turned 10.<br /><br />“I thought it was a scam at first - but it’s amazing to see him modelling for all these top brands. <br /><br />“He gets looked after really well - every job he goes on, it’s all very luxurious. <br /><br />“We get to take him to toy shops and let him have his pick to spend his wages - and he makes £500 per shoot. <br /><br />“It doesn’t faze him at all that he’s earning all this money - he just loves sightseeing and making new friends.”<br /><br />Naomi was told at her 20-week scan that her son would be born with an “abnormality” - despite having a "normal" pregnancy beforehand. <br /><br />But doctors weren’t exactly sure what the abnormality would be - ONLY KNOWING IT WOULD IMPACT HIS LEG? - and his missing fibula was discovered at birth. <br /><br />Due to his missing fibula and abnormal tibia - which was bent sideways - Arlo’s right foot curled inwards and he only had three toes. <br /><br />Naomi said: “It was significantly shorter than his left leg. It would’ve grown, just at a really slow pace.<br /><br />“I went straight on Facebook to look for other mums going through the same thing, it did make me feel less alone.”<br /><br />While speaking to the other mums, Naomi began to weigh up her options. <br /><br />She heard she’d be able to get leg lengthening surgery for Arlo - which is usually an option for patients with a shortened fibula. <br /><br />But doctors told her it wouldn’t be possible - as they’d be unable to extend or replace bones that weren’t there to begin with. <br /><br />After 18 months of research, Naomi and Arlo’s care team decided amputation would be the best route. <br /><br />She said: “We decided the best way would be to amputate his right foot. <br /><br />“At the beginning, I was really nervous. <br /><br />“But in the three months before surgery, doctors fitted Arlo with a prosthetic leg, which had a set of five little toes. <br /><br />“He absolutely loved it. It gave him the flexibility of being able to walk - and he could even put a shoe on it. <br /><br />“I knew amputation would be th
