Big Brother star Rebekah Shelton has taken to Twitter to correct reports of her death after her account was allegedly hacked before a tweet was sent saying she had died "unexpectedly on Wednesday (10 January) night."

Shelton, who is transgender, shot to fame after appearing on the 2009 series of the Channel 5 show prior to her gender reassignment surgery.

Appearing in a video to make clear she is alive and well, Shelton said: "I've been through hell today because someone used my Twitter account to write that stupid status about me.

"This person can't accept the fact that I'm happy. That I overcame all my problems and that I am finally happy."

Shelton did not make clear whether she knew the person she claims hacked her account, or whether she would be pursuing legal action.

Tributes poured in overnight and her alleged death was widely reported. This article was initially a report on her alleged, but has been corrected to reflect developments.

The former Big Brother star spoke to Daily Star Online back in May, 2017 about the turning point when she knew her gender reassignment surgery was the right decision.

She recalled, "There was a turning point – when I met someone in Brazil four years ago."

"When I met him, I was not 100% sure [about transitioning]. Of course I wanted to, but I had to think, do I really want to go through all of this discrimination?" the reality star, who made an appearance on ITV show, Judge Rinder, continued.

"But when I met him, I was deeply in love with him – he was the love of my life. We haven't spoken for six months because I've decided to leave, but that was the turning point."

Shelton also admitted that the romance marked the first time someone else saw her as she saw herself. "He saw me as a woman, the person I am. When he took me out and introduced me to his friends, for the first time in my life, I felt like the person I was meant to be from when I was born," she added.

The transgender star also admitted that transition was emotionally exhausting and shared her advice. "My advice to anyone considering transition would be think very carefully about your decision. I am the happiest I've ever been in myself, but I lost so much along the way," she said.

"I lost friends, it divided my family and I had to undergo 16 surgeries. I'm not sure what I would do if I could go back in time."

Note: This article was updated to correct false reporting on Rebekah Shelton's death.