Transgender lottery winner Melissa Ede u-turns and will share fortune with her kids – after she dies
Melissa Ede, the transgender taxi driver who won £4 million from the National Lottery, has dramatically u-turned and said she will leave part of her fortune to her children.
But just before New Year’s Eve, the 57-year-old bought a £10 scratchcard that changed her life.
She said it “just caught my eye” at a petrol station on her way to work – before finding out that she no longer needed to go to work.
But the online star, who has thousands of followers on YouTube and Twitter, was not supported by close relatives when she completed her transition in 2011.
Her four grown-up children – aged 19, 29, 30 and 39 – turned their backs on her 12 years ago because of her trans identity.
So when she won the windfall which led her to quit her job, she announced her intention to leave the kids with nothing.
“I know we should all love our children unconditionally but they cut me out of their lives,” she told Good Morning Britain.
“They weren’t there during my hardest times and rejected me. I still love them but I don’t want false love off them because I’ve got money now.
“The people who have stood by me through thick and thin — it’s payback time for them.”
However, she has now changed her mind, and will give her kids a portion of her millions – after she dies.
Ede, who comes from Hull, told The Mirror: “I’m still of the feeling nobody can walk back in my life and get money.
“But I’d like it eventually given to them, and they can have a little joy too.
“I’ll be meeting up with them and will leave them money. If they hang about in my life they’ll get treated.”
Ede has appeared on Judge Rinder and went on Jeremy Kyle’s show in an effort to raise £15,000 for new teeth.
During one Jeremy Kyle appearance, a couple who claimed they were “too fat to work” was thrown off the show after they transphobically abused her.
Kyle lost his temper with Stephen and Michelle Beers after they repeatedly insulted Ede, who was defending herself from the false claim that Stephen had cheated with her.
The newly minted multi-millionaire has also attracted attention for her “body confidence” YouTube videos, in which she dances, almost naked, with ketchup, milk and mayonnaise bottles attached to her breasts.
She said that the £10 scratchcard “just caught my eye” at a petrol station on her way to work, and she bought it with the change from her purchase.
Ede said she ran back into the garage after she found out about the win, shouting: “You’ve just given me £4 million – 2018 is going to be the best year ever!”