Pinning a purple flower into her bleach blonde hair, pretty Ava admired herself in the mirror. She had every reason to be proud. In the space of a year, she had lost an incredible 17 stone. Her weight dropped from 37st 1lbs to 19st 7lbs, and she slipped into a dress before gazing at her newly svelte figure. With her smokey eye makeup and black skater dress, she could have been glamming up for a night on the tiles with her girlfriends. Instead, it was Halloween, 2013, and Ava was hiding a huge secret. Born a boy named William, it was the first time she had ever dressed as a girl – and everything fell into place.
A SPECTACULAR array of stars fills the night sky as they soar over this active volcano .
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
DIVING boffins fired harpoons into 30-foot-long whale sharks in a bid to put the sea-beasts on Google Maps .
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .
LOCATIONS bursting with vibrant greens and chestnut browns, these photographs capture the peaceful English countryside in all its glory .
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm .
Pouncing down on top of his twin brother, these two snow leopard cubs practice their kung-fu moves .
BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
Staring death in the face, a little field mouse bravely confronts a hungry cat .
This was the chaotic scene when the driver of a 4x4 vehicle became periously trapped under his vehicle for an HOUR when it overturned after a crash on a busy motorway .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .