Tamzin Outhwaite opens up on 'long journey' family faced after eldest child, 17, came out as transgender aged 10

Alex Davies
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:24:45 +0000

Tamzin Outhwaite has spoken candidly about her family's experience after her eldest child, Flo, came out as transgender at approximately 10 or 11 years old.

The former EastEnders actress, 55, discussed the topic at the British Diversity Awards, where she encouraged the importance of representation across all forms of entertainment.

"Diversity to me means seeing every representation, if possible, on screen, on stage and in the arts generally," she told OK!

"It's about reflecting real life. That's what audiences connect with."

The mother of two shares Flo, now 17, and daughter Marnie, 12, with her former husband Tom Ellis, from whom she separated in 2014.

Ms Outhwaite has previously used her public profile to promote understanding towards transgender individuals.

However, while she's now a vocal advocate, the actress admitted the journey to acceptance was far from straightforward, with Ms Outhwaite describing the period when Flo first came out as trans as "a very distressing time".

Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast last year, she admitted her initial reaction was one of disbelief. "Initially, I would say, don't be ridiculous. I didn't say don't be ridiculous, but my mind went, 'That's ludicrous'," she explained.

The family sought professional support at the time. "Working back from that with talking, family therapy, therapy on Flo's side as well, talking with family and realising you're not alone," she said.

Ms Outhwaite claimed that resisting a child's identity could prove counterproductive. "I think if you push back on a kid, they'll want to do the opposite of what their parent says."

Despite the difficult early years, Ms Outhwaite has expressed pride in how her child has developed.

"It's been a long journey, a very long journey, but we're in a great place now," she said in a separate interview with The Mirror this month. "I'm just happy that he's happy, and that's how I feel at the moment. He's thriving, absolutely thriving."

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The actress claimed that Flo's gender identity isn't the most notable thing about her child.

"The maddest thing is that it's not the most interesting thing about him. He's an incredibly funny, intelligent boy. And I'm watching him grow into a wonderful human who's very talented."

Ms Outhwaite has previously been careful to respect her child's privacy, saying that Flo has set clear boundaries.

"I'm not allowed to talk about him [Flo]. I was only allowed to talk about him on Rob [Beckett] and Josh [Widdicombe]'s podcast, Parenting Hell, because it's his favourite podcast," she explained.

"So I was allowed to talk about him with both of those two, but I'm not allowed to talk about him anywhere else, and I respect that decision."

The actress has also spoken out against hostility directed at transgender people, feeling strongly about the issue as a parent.

She acknowledged that trans issues have become increasingly prominent in public discourse. "The whole LGBT community get a bit of a hard rap at the moment - it's quite tough, I think. It is a hot topic."