Big Brother star Rebekah Shelton dies at 32

Update: Rebekah Shelton has confirmed that she hasn’t passed away – more here. 

Big Brother star Rebekah Shelton has tragically died. 

The 32-year-old Brazilian, who appeared on the UK reality TV show in 2009 before transitioning, reportedly died on Wednesday (January 10). 

The news was shared on the star’s Twitter account early this morning (January 12).

The tweet read: “We’re sorry to inform everyone of the sad news that our wonderful and lovely Rebekah died unexpectedly on Wednesday night. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time.” 

The news devastated fans around the world and tributes quickly came pouring in. 

Shelton had previously appeared on ITV’s Judge Rinder where she spoke about her transition, revealing that she was struggling to cope because she felt “isolated”. 

She said: “So many times I wanted to kill myself because I had no one to talk to.” 

We’re sorry to inform everyone of the sad news that our wonderful and lovely Rebekah died unexpectedly on Wednesday night. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time.

— Rebekah Shelton (@MissRShelton) January 12, 2018

Back in 2014, Rebekah fell into a coma after doctors discovered a brain tumour. A year later, in May 2015, fans were left worried when the star shared a tweet suggesting a suicide attempt. 

She wrote: “My dad has chucked me out of home. I feel lost. Took tablets to die but I’m still alive. I love eveyrthing even beauty.” 

However, she later shared another tweet instisting she was fine. 

Shelton then didn’t return to social media until November last year when she changed her profile picture, before going silent once again. 

Our thoughts are with the star’s family and friends.