A two-year-old girl who has never been able to speak has finally spoken her first words.

Little Bronte Cassell was born extremely premature in Sheffield in the UK and had to be given a tracheotomy at six months of age to help her breathe.

The tubes were inserted below her voice box leaving her unable to speak.

Now eighteen months later, the breathing apparatus has been removed, giving the toddler the opportunity to say her first words.

Her parents Hellen and Martin told the Daily Mail it was one of the best days of their lives.

"It's been a long time in the waiting but more than worth it to hear those wonderful words.

'My husband Martin looked at her and said: 'I love you Bronte' and she looked back and said 'I love you daddy'. Then she looked at me and said 'I love you too mummy'.

"We just looked at each other and cried. It was the first time we had ever heard her really speak."

Bronte was born when Hellen was only 25 weeks into the pregnancy and weighed just 1lb 12 oz (790grams). She spent the first 15 weeks of her life in hospital.

At six months, she stopped breathing due to a tight narrowing just below her vocal cords and underwent the tracheotomy.

To help her communicate with her parents and older brother Noah, she learnt sign language and mouthed words.

Now that the tubes and oxygen supply have been removed, she can get on with being a normal toddler.

Neil Bateman, the surgeon who removed the tubes, said: "It can be hard for families adapting to tracheotomy but for Bronte it has helped her to get through a difficult period of her life and it's fantastic she's now enjoying what a lot of other children can take for granted."