A beauty vlogger has revealed she first realised she was transgender after suffering the shock of her mother dying - just two days after she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Luxeria Celes, 26, from Hampton, West London, who was born Michael James, is now looking forward to her first year as a woman after Sheila Tugwell died unexpectedly aged 51.

Luxeria and her father Richard, 67, were left heartbroken - and the grief prompted the realisation that she was unhappy with her gender.

Luxeria Celes, 26, from Hampton, West London, was born as Michael James and is now a woman

Luxeria realised d she was transgender while experiencing grief after her mother Sheila Tugwell died aged 51 two days after being diagnosed with cancer of the lungs, liver and brain. She says her mother would have supported her actions and would have helped fundraise for her transition to being female

The Kingston University biochemistry student beleives her mother - who was diagnosed with cancer in her liver, lungs and brain just two days before her death - would have supported her decision.

She said: 'My mum was very open-minded and would have been out there fundraising for my transition.

'We would have gone shopping together, out for coffee, normal things like that.'

She is supported by her boyfriend, train driver Andy Pearson, 28, who knew her when she was called Michael James, but now refers to her as her new name.

Luxeria - who runs a successful YouTube channel with more than 150,000 subscribers and 11 millions views - explained how the grieving process made her want to change her life.

'I spent a lot of time really thinking about what I wanted from my life. The only thing I was 100 per cent sure of was that I was in the wrong gender.

'I started to realise that life isn't life if you're not enjoying it - and I was not happy with myself as a man. I knew I was going to transition, and that was a big thing for me.'

Luxeria didn't know what gender she was as a child and was raised in a way that allowed her to be free. She used to experiment with her mother's make-up and always had long, brightly coloured hair

Mrs Tugwell was diagnosed with cancer on May 23, 2012, dying just two days later.

She had been suffering with Multiple sclerosis (MS) - a neurological condition that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord - for 25 years. The condition had masked all her cancer symptoms so she hadn't been tested.

'It was horrendous,' Luxeria said. 'She had been delirious and my dad called an ambulance which took her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, near their home in east Brighton.

'After an MRI and CAT scan it was confirmed that she had cancer in the liver, lungs and brain. She must have had it for a long time, undetected.

Luxeria has a YouTube channel with 150,000 subscribers where she posts make-up tutorials and chats about her transition to being a woman, as well as hair tutorials and talking about her everyday life

She has been transitioning to being a woman for the last two years, and was told by the NHS that she was a suitable candidate in September 2015. It took her 18 months to get an appointment at a gender clinic in London

'My dad had called to tell me she was in hospital - and two days later, she died. It was sudden and left me feeling really empty.

'She was a great inspiration and always told me I looked amazing.'

I always had long, brightly-coloured hair and I used to play with my mum's make up. It never occurred to me that I didn't want to be male because I was just being me

Luxeria's mother was an artist and always had 'loud' ideas. She never felt constrained by her parents as a child and was unsure of her gender even then.

'Both of my parents allowed me to be quite free, I was never forced to do anything. I didn't know about what gender was when I was a child.

'I always had long, brightly-coloured hair and I used to play with my mum's make up. It never occurred to me that I didn't want to be male because I was just being me.'

It wasn't until she reached puberty that Luxeria began feeling uncomfortable.

'When my beard started to grow and my muscles started to develop I found it stressful and I became depressed - so I started teaching myself how to apply make up.

Luxeria, left, with her father Richard Tugwell, 67, centre, and her boyfriend Andy Pearson, 28, a train driver

Luxeria is excited to get a female passport and says it makes a big difference to be accepted as female

'Even though I've always been feminine, it makes a big difference to say I'm female - rather than I'm a boy that looks like a girl.'

Two years after her mum's death, Miss Celes finally made the transition to being a woman.

'It was a long process. It took 18 months just to get an appointment at the Gender Identity Clinic in Charring Cross, London.

The 26-year-old first became unhappy with her appearance when she reached puberty and began developing

When Luxeria's beard started to grow and her muscles to develop she found it stressful and became depressed, so began teaching herself how to apply make up to cope with her anxiety about being male

'After an hour long interview about my childhood and why I felt the way I did, I was told I was a successful candidate.

'I feel infinitely happier, in a better mental state, and more myself than I've ever felt. I'm the same person, just starting on a different journey.'

While she is yet to have any operations due to financial constraints, Luxeria plans to have facial feminisation and breast augmentation, as well as laser hair removal.

To help manage the costs, she has set up a GoFundMe page, a fundraising site where people campaign to raise money for personal causes.

Kelsea Little of GoFundMe.com said on Luxeria's fundraising page, which has just reached the halfway mark of its £3,000 target: 'We are happy to be able to provide a platform that allows transgender individuals to ask for support from friends and family during their transitions.'

Luxeria is now relaxed, knowing that 2016 will be her first year as a woman.

'What it means for me is having the gender on my passport finally match my actual gender. I'm hoping to go on holiday to the Netherlands later this year and it will feel so good to present my passport and not be treated strangely for having an "M" written on it instead of an "F"'.

Luxeria realised that she wasn't happy with her gender when her mother died, so began changing her life

She is also going to continue work on her successful YouTube channel. Her account, which she started in 2007, has had 11 million views and 150,000 subscribers.

She said: 'I'm a leader more than a follower of trends. I think people like my opinions.

'You might not fit the mould, but that's OK. You need to create yourself. People say 'life is short' but it's the longest thing you'll experience, so you better make the most of it.'