‘I did have two daughters, now I have a son and a daughter’: EastEnders star reveals child is trans
Tamzin Outhwaite has revealed that her eldest child is trans. (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Tamzin Outhwaite has revealed that her eldest child is trans. (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite has revealed that her eldest child is trans.
Tamzin Outhwaite, who played Mel Owens in BBC soap EastEnders, spoke about her trans child during an appearance on the Parenting Hell podcast, hosted by Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe.
The actress shares two children with her ex-husband Tom Ellis: Flo, 17 and Marnie, 12.
She said: “I’ve got two kids. I did have two daughters and now I have a son and a daughter. That’s quite easy for me to say now, but it wasn’t maybe six or seven years ago.”
‘It’s not the most interesting thing about him’
Tamzin Outhwaite explained to the hosts that “the maddest thing is I suppose that it’s not the most interesting thing about him.”
She continued: “He’s an incredibly funny intelligent boy, and I’m watching him grow into a wonderful human who’s very talented.
“To see him thriving is just nothing but relief and joy for me really because there were some dark times.”
Outhwaite also touched on the fact the community is a minority: “It really is less than one per cent of the population. There’s this big up in arms thing. It’s not that common, just because…. But I’m just so happy for him.”
She said of her ex-husband’s involvement: “[He] has been around for the whole of like Flo’s transitioning period.”
Tamzin Outhwaite joins a growing list of celebrities proudly supporting their trans children, from Robert De Niro and Cher to Naomi Watts.
A 2023 report found LGBTQ+ people are much less likely to be happy in adulthood when they were not supported at home and school when they were younger.
The Positive Futures report surveyed 3,695 people aged 18 to 25, across the UK, including a pool of 1,736 queer young adults, and identified a link between a lack of LGBTQ+ support in childhood and negative outcomes for mental health, wellbeing and career prospects in early adulthood.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
