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 photographer travelled to the abandoned ghost town of Bodie in northern California to capture the historic buildings that are trapped in time .
Villages on the Somerset Levels have faced weeks of flooding with no respite from the conditions in sight .
A Romanian woman is celebrating her new job as a knife-thrower’s assistant after leaving her family behind to move to the UK .
SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .
THIS unique holiday accommodation allows you to enjoy a full Flintstones experience .
A doting seal smiles at her sweet little pup as she tickles its tummy on the beach .
A Little owl looks down the lens of a camera and gives the photographer a cheeky wink .
From a platter of finger licking chicken wings to a bowl of Chinese noodle soup, these foodie snaps are enough to make your savoury saliva glands drool .
A woman has spoken of her heartbreak after she was rejected by an adoption agency because of her pregnancy phobia .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
A woman has been left unable to smile after undergoing emergency surgery to remove infected lip fillers .
LEAPING through the air this determined little mouse is on a mission for food .