Cross winning secret migraine battle

Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross has learned to overcome debilitating migraines that wreaked havoc on her teenage years, thanks to a strict regime of healthy eating and relaxation.

The actress still shudders when she recalls her first crippling headache when she was 14, which blurred her vision and left her in agony.

Cross spent years trying to control the problem but admits the more she stressed about migraines the more likely she was to get one.

Now, the TV star is helping the Society for Women's Health Research by urging migraine sufferers to seek help and advice from experts.

She says: "This is something women can take charge of. I do what I need to do to take care of myself."

Thanks to research breakthroughs, Cross now says she can recognise the things that trigger migraines - alcohol, oversleeping, stress and certain foods.

She explains: "You become very isolated (with migraines). You feel underwater and out of touch."