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.
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
SNEAKING slowly into the water, this Bengal tiger plans a vicious attack on three unsuspecting deer .
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
From vibrant blues to dazzling oranges, these eye catching hummingbirds proudly show off their impressive colours .
A BROWN bear wades through waters in Alaska and waits for his lunch .
With the full moon looming behind him, this polar bear nestles down for the night .
While often referred to as the kings of the jungle, gorillas - for all their might - are notorious hydrophobes .
SNOWBOARDING in your £2,000 wedding dress sounds like a nightmare for most brides .
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
A BIKINI swim with jellyfish sounds like the most painful past-time on the planet .
STRIKING photos capture nature at its most raw and powerful during Earth’s most electrifying event .
More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .