Transgender lottery winner makes touching gesture after her death to heal rift with estranged children
Melissa Ede died aged 58. (Facebook)
A transgender woman who died shortly after winning £4 million on a Lotto scratchcard left her fortune largely untouched, instead leaving her winnings to her five estranged children.
Melissa Ede called the big win “a fairytale ending” after her struggle to transition, adding: “It is all just like a dream.”
Tragically she was just 58 when she died suddenly of a heart attack in May of last year. Ede’s fiancée, Rachel Nason, found her collapsed on the drive of their new detached home in East Yorkshire and was sadly unable to save her.
At the time of her death Ede had not been in touch with her children for four years, but it appears she made a final peace offering by naming them in her will as beneficiaries of a huge trust fund.
Ede was a well-known figure in her local city of Hull, and described herself as a “viral video” and “reality star” on her Facebook page. The former taxi driver remained frugal in the 18 months she had to enjoy her big win, continuing to shop at Primark and charity shops.
But she splashed out £170,000 for a house for her friend Rachel Dudding in thanks for her loyalty in standing by her as she transitioned.
Dudding is now an executor and ‘discretionary beneficiary’ of the will, and the gross value of the estate stands at £3,649,810.
Melissa Ede on Good Morning Britain (YouTube)
Talking about her fortune in one of her last interviews before she died, she told the Mirror: “To go from having £5 in your bank account is unbelievable.
“Out of my winnings, I’ve spent £800,000 that includes the house, gifting, some donated to charity, cosmetic work and I’ve paid for my teeth.
“We set aside £1m and I invested £3m of it which is still invested. I could blow it all but where would that leave everybody else?”
