I LOST HALF MY WEIGHT AND BECAME A WOMAN

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.

Other great stories
£10,000 REWARD FOR JOHN ANSLOW

Pictures of John Anslow a prisoner who escaped from a prison escort van in North Worcestershire Monday, 23 January .

COUPLE TIE THE KNOT IN SPECTACULAR £45K HARRY POTTER WEDDING

A couple have tied the knot in a spectacular Harry Potter-themed wedding which cost £45,000 .

LITTLE OWL WINKS FOR THE CAMERA

A Little owl looks down the lens of a camera and gives the photographer a cheeky wink .

ADORABLE STOAT HUNTS IN THE SNOW

DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .

WOMAN OVERCOMES THIGH GAP OBSESSION AND BEATS ANOREXIA

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ZANZIBAR FISHERMEN RISK THEIR LIVES FOR FOOD

VENTURING into the ocean with self-made spears and nets, the fishermen of Zanzibar put their lives on the line when they catch food for their families .

A GRIZZLY GANG

PAWS for thought as you feast your eyes on this rare bear bathing session .

ABANDONED CALIFORNIAN GOLD RUSH TOWN

A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .

MONSTROUS WAVES DWARF DARE-DEVIL SURFERS

Gigantic 100ft waves create the perfect playground for dare-devil surfers from across the world .

MOUSE A-DOR'S SPRING

The sun is finally out, bringing a smile to many people’s faces – including this cute little dormouse’s! Grinning from ear to ear, this tiny dormouse appears to have been tickled by something as it clambered up this flower, basking in the sunshine, whilst having a little laugh to himself .

CHEEKY BABY GORILLA

THIS cheeky gorilla tries his best to wriggle free from his mum .

PUTIN'S TINY ARMY 

Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms .