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A transgender entertainer who had a £10,000 sex change on the NHS then went on national TV to reveal she wanted to be a man again has been found dead.

Matthew Attonley transformed into transgender entertainer Chelsea after undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2012.

Only two years later she went on ITV’s This Morning saying she “had doubts” about the decision.

But the 33-year-old did not undergo further surgery and carved out a successful career, becoming a celebrity in the LGBT community.

Chelsea was found collapsed in a park after spending the evening celebrating her birthday with pals in a pub near her home in Derby.

Police were called to Bass' Recreation Ground in the city on Friday after reports that a woman had been taken ill.

(Image: SWNS)

She was pronounced dead at the scene and a spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

A statement on Chelsea's Facebook page announcing her death said the entertainer had been celebrating her birthday at the Crown Inn, Derby, before she died.

It said: "It's with deep sadness that I have to announce that in the early hours of Friday morning in Derby, Chelsea was found dead in a park after having a night out with friends at the Crown Inn celebrating her birthday.

"This is devastating for all of us and myself and her closest friends are trying to deal with it all."

Chelsea attracted national media attention in 2014 after she revealed she was considering switching back to her original male identity of Matthew.

Chelsea, then called Matthew, first appeared on This Morning to discuss her initial decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery in 2012.

But six months later she was back on the sofa revealing she was uncertain about what she had done.

(Image: Twitter)

She told Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden: “I was having doubts about everything I was doing. I lost my mother the year before - and I was speaking to her about my doubts then.

“I also [appeared on the show] to raise awareness… my body was rejecting the hormones. All these things were just building and building and building so here I am today.”

Chelsea had ambitions to become a talk show host like her idol Katie Price and had a reputation for spreading a positive message about being transgender.

She was famous in the gay community and, for several years, hosted the main stage at leading transgender festival Sparkle in Manchester. She also went by the name Matthew Attonley.

(Image: SWNS)

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Chelsea's death.

She said: "The ambulance service called us at 12.40pm on Friday, July 29, to report that they were attending calls that a woman had been found ill at Bass' Recreation Ground in Derby.

"The 33-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. There are no suspicious circumstances and we are preparing a file for the coroner."

A spokesman for Derby and Derbyshire Coroner's office said a post-mortem examination was planned for today.

He said: "Enquiries are ongoing about the cause of Chelsea's death and a post-mortem examination is due to take place at the Royal Derby Hospital. There will most likely be an inquest opening shortly after that."