A transgender taxi driver who appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show is appealing for fundraisers to help her raise £15,000 – to get her teeth fixed.
Melissa Ede, 56, said her gnashers have been “ruined” by hormones and violence over the years and hopes to get her two front teeth taken out and replaced.
But Melissa, who has also appeared on reality TV show Judge Rinder, says she wants to raise the cash to go private because NHS options “terrified” her.
The cabbie, who was tried to fork out a social media career for herself by posting bizarre videos of her on Facebook singing in skimpy outfits, often with bottles of ketchup, mayonnaise and sausage rolls attached to her chest.
She said the dental work will “raise her confidence” and silence the trolls who have made comments about her teeth on her videos.
She said: “For some of the videos, I stick chewing gum across my teeth or hold my top lip down so you cannot see my teeth.
“I get attacked a bit about my teeth on some of the videos.
“They can call me what the hell they want. I am used to that but it would be nice to have the confidence to smile as I am doing it.
“I put a video up on Wednesday night and already on that, there are so many nasty comments.
“I get really nasty comments – ‘get your teeth sorted’ and I get called Bugs Bunny a lot.”
Melissa, who also reached the last few hundred in the world out of 200,000 people who applied to going a space mission to Mars, added she often suffers from pain in her mouth that stops her from speaking.
She said: “Some days, I can hardly speak properly because of the pain in my mouth.
“You will probably realise this if you re-look at my videos. But saying that, I still put videos out to inspire to give people joy.
“Now as I am so viral, I want to carry on because so many look forward to seeing new videos. But if things get worse it may not be possible.”
Despite setting up a GoFundMe page Melissa has only raised a poultry £100 so far out of her £15,000 target.
However she defended herself against criticism that people should fund her cosmetic work.
She said: “People have said why should you get that when people are dying all over the world from hunger, starvation and the rest of it.
“If you want to help them people, please help them people because they do need your help. What I am asking people to do is help me if they want to help me.
“I am not trying to take it away from any help that anybody else would get. I am not saying don’t donate to them because I want your money.
“I am saying if you want to help me please help me.”
Being transgender is a difficult process but to make a mockery of yourself on social media just makes it that much harder for others