A TODDLER battling serious health problems came face to face with her hero and was dancing with joy.

Little Sophia McGrady, two, who has undergone major heart surgery, could scarcely believe her eyes as the TV cartoon hero Peppa Pig came to life at Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham yesterday.

About three thousand people, mainly excited children, queued to get a glimpse of the five-year-old pig who likes jumping in puddles – and of course, her little brother George.

The little girl’s grandparents Robert and Anthea Box took Sophia, from Chester, to meet Peppa.

They said: “She absolutely adores Peppa Pig. She can say ‘pig oink’ and ‘George’, in fact much of her first vocabulary has been from Peppa Pig.”

Speaking about her health condition, they said: “It was discovered she had holes in her heart and could not feed properly.

“They had to wait so that she could gain weight to have open heart surgery which she did at only six months in Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool.”

Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley said: “We wanted to put on a half term treat for the children and we were delighted that so many of them came along.”